Married to Sasuke Uchiha
by AnimeloverNUMBA100
Summary: Naruto dumps Sakura, telling her that he's been dating Hinata behind her back. She runs and bumps into Sasuke. After a coincident, Sasuke forces her to marry him. When Sakura thought things couldn't get worse, she finds herself falling in love with him.
1. I Thought He Was The One

**I Thought He Was the One**

The bell rang for dismissal.

Sakura quickly packed her things and dashed out. She smiled brightly, seeing Naruto waiting at the school gates for her. Sakura ran to him and hugged him tightly. "So? Where are you taking me today?" She asked, eagerly.

Today was their1 year anniversary of dating. Sakura couldn't wait to see what he's going to do this time. Last time, he took her to the amusement park and gave her a real diamond ring. He also bought her a new camera, and he even wrote a song for her. Sakura looked at him and her smile disappeared, seeing his expression. "What's wrong?" She asked, worriedly.

"Oh, nothing…um…listen, I need to talk to you once we get there, ok?" Naruto flashed a quick smile at her.

"Ok…" Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. 'Why is he acting so distant?'

* * *

Sakura sighed, getting impatient. For the past 30 minutes, they've been driving…and all she could see were school parks, houses, and apartments. "Where exactly are you taking me?" Sakura crossed her arms.

Naruto didn't reply, but instead stopped the car. He looked down at his feet, avoiding her gaze.

"Naruto, what exactly is going on? You've been so distant lately…are you ok?" She gently put her hand on his.

"I…I need to talk to you about something, Sakura," Naruto murmured.

"What is it?" Sakura smiled warmly at him.

"You know I love you, don't you?" Naruto looked into her eyes.

"Of course…and I love you, too. So what's wrong?" Sakura shook her head, confused.

Naruto let out a deep sigh and Sakura noticed his eyes help so much sadness and guilt. "Sakura…you're very special to me, and…and I know we've been through a lot of things together. I love you a lot and I care about you so much…but…I think…" He paused, and Sakura felt her tears coming, because she knew exactly what he was going to say.

"…I think we should…break up…" Naruto replied softly, looking at her with eyes that were begging her not to cry.

Sakura took her hand off of his and swallowed hard to prevent her tears from coming. "…why…?" She whispered.

"I'm sorry. It's just…something is missing," Naruto murmured, hesitantly.

"What's _missing_? We've been so happy together, and I even thought…" Sakura paused, sniffing a bit. "…I thought…you were really the one for me…"

Naruto took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Sakura, I'm really sorry. I just…well…I don't really know how to tell you this, but…Hinata…

" Sakura's eyes widened. Hinata? What _about_ Hinata? Hinata was her best friend and she and Naruto barely spoke to each other.

"…Hinata and I…have been dating behind your back…" Naruto averted his eyes down, unable to look at her expression.

Sakura's tears finally fell. She slid her hand away from his. "…you…you cheated on me…with my best friend…?" Sakura couldn't believe it. Hinata had always been so loyal, innocent, and she was so honest. How could Hinata and Naruto be dating behind her back!

"Sakura, I'm-,"

"How long?" Sakura asked.

Naruto looked at her, confused.

"How long have you guys been dating?" Sakura repeated.

"That day when you introduced me to her, I just felt something inside of me. And seeing her eyes, I knew she felt the same way…and we…we just started to go out the next day…I'm really sorry, Sakura…" Naruto's voice was filled with guilt.

Sakura opened the car door and stepped out. She slammed it shut and began to walk away.

Naruto quickly opened his door and ran to her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in to an embrace. "Sakura…please understand this! We never intended to hurt you! It just…kind of fell into place…so please, don't think that we wanted to make you feel like this on purpose. Hinata told me to tell you this because she didn't want to lie behind your back, any-,"

"Lie behind my back?" Sakura pushed him away. "You two have been lying to me for over a fucking year, and you tell me, _**now**_?" She glared at him with teary eyes.

"Please, Sakura…we can all still be friends," Naruto stared at her sadly.

"No…" Sakura shook her head. "How can I be friends with someone who cheated on me, and how can I still say that Hinata is my best friend when she did this to me? I can't…I can't do this, anymore…" She slowly stepped back away from him. "From now on…you and I…have nothing more to do with each other. And since you're with Hinata…tell her that we're no longer best friends…" Sakura cried and ran ahead before Naruto could reply.

Naruto stood there, with tears at the corner of his eyes. "I really did love you, though, Sakura…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…."

* * *

Sakura kept running until her legs felt numb. She wanted to erase those memories of when she and Naruto were together. She wanted to erase her friendship with Hinata. She wanted to run away from all of it. Sakura's eyes were blurry from crying and she couldn't see where she was going.

Without noticing, she bumped into someone. Sakura winced, feeling her arm hitting the cement, harshly. "Ow…" She groaned.

"Watch where you're going!"

Sakura turned to see a boy, around her age (17-18), who was also on the floor, glaring at her. "Sorry…" She mumbled.

The boy stood up and turned to walk away.

"Hey! You're not even going to help me up?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Of course not. You're the one who bumped into me," The boy glared back at her.

"Excuse me?" Sakura stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"Look, I have more important things to do right now, so I don't have time to listen to a pink-haired, lowly, person like you," He sighed in annoyance.

"Wha….how can you call me that? Who do you think you are?" Sakura gaped.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke smirked.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "So? That doesn't mean you're like a prince or something. You say your name like you rule the world."

Sasuke sighed and turned to go. "Well, I need to go, pink haired-brat," Sakura twitched. "My name is SAKURA!"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't care…" He replied and ran ahead.

Sakura let out a deep sigh. "I don't even know him, so why should I care, either?" She rolled her eyes and stomped away. She had quickly forgotten all about Naruto and Hinata.

* * *

Sasuke sat down on the couch, in front of his parents.

"Sasuke, your father's company…" Mikoto(Sasuke's mom) paused a bit, looking at Fugaku(Sasuke's dad). "…is going to go bankrupt."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What? How can it go bankrupt? Father, your company was processing so well! The mall was selling thousands of products each day."

Fugaku sighed and shook his head. "It seems…my time has come. The council said I need to either resign my place as the president of the company and let everything I had done to be wasted…or…" Sasuke saw hesitation in Fugaku's eyes. Fugaku looked at him, sadly. "Or…in order to maintain the company's power and money, I must marry you with one of our relatives."

Sasuke nearly gaped. "W…what? How the hell does that solve the problem?"

Mikoto put her hands gently on Sasuke's arm. "Our relatives have a wealthy background. If we marry you to one of their daughters, then their own company will combine with ours. Their products, as well as ours, together, will sell rapidly and your father's company will not lose everything. Please, think about this. I know that your own happiness counts, but…but this company is everything to your father. If you cannot do it, in the end, we'll understand…" She replied gently.

Sasuke looked down at the ground, unable to speak. "How can I just get married with someone I don't know? Besides, you know I'm dating Karin, already," he glared.

"Sasuke, I understand your feelings. If you don't want to do this, you don't have to." Fugaku replied

. Silence filled the room for a moment. _'I don't want to be married off to one of those boring, rich women…' _Sasuke sighed. He stared at his dad for a while, silently. His hands clenched into fists. "I'll do it, father…I won't let your hard work go to waste."

Fugaku smiled faintly at him.

"Thank you, Sasuke…" Mikoto put her hand on Sasuke's. "It'll be fine. The girls from our relatives are around your age, and they seem really fit to be the wife of a successor."

Sasuke didn't reply and stared at the ground. "How much time do you need, father, before I need to pick a bride?" He asked.

"They said they'll give me 3 more weeks to work as the president of the company. However, tomorrow, you must pick a girl and make the engagement. The wedding will be in 1 more week..." Fugaku explained.

"Fine…" Sasuke stood up and walked away without another word.

* * *

Sasuke glared at the ground and put his hands into his pockets. "Damn…I can't believe I'm doing this. I have to explain things Karin. But…" His father flashed into his mind.

"…I have to do it. Father, you have made everything successful over the years, and I won't let your work go into failure…"

* * *

Sakura opened the door and saw her parents sitting at the diner table, with bothered expressions. "Dad? Mom? Is something wrong?" She closed the door behind her and walked over to them.

Sakura's mom didn't even respond, but just started to cry. Her dad looked up at her sadly. "Sakura...we're sorry..." He muttered.

"Eh? About what? You guys didn't do anything wrong," Sakura blinked at them in confusion.

"...you know how I told you that we came from a wealthy family?"

Sakura nodded.

"Um...well...that family was the most successful company in Japan, and the president of it was my great-grandfather. However, the power of the Haruno family was passed onto our distant relatives, the Uchiha family. And now...in order to still maintain the power over Japan..." Sakura's father looked at her with guilty eyes. "...we must hand you over to them..."

Sakura dropped her hand-bag and stood in shock. "W...what do you mean, hand me over to them!" She glared at him.

"You are the only daughter in this family. The Uchiha's family has a son who has to take over the company, and...and they chose you to be on of the candidates to be his bride..."

Sakura gasped. "B...bride?" She walked over to her mom and knelt beside her. "Mom, please tell me this isn't real! I can't get married to some rich, boring, guy who cares only about himself and his money! I...I can't live with someone like that for the rest of my life! If he chooses me, I'm just going to live in misery!"

But her mom only shook her head and whispered, "It's true...I'm so sorry..."

Sakura shook her head, unable to believe it.

"Sakura, don't lost hope, yet. There are many other girls that are candidates for the Uchiha's bride...you don't need to worry just yet. After tomorrow, we'll be taking you to the company, where all the other girls are. The Uchiha's son will choose either you, or the many others...you are just one girl, so don't worry so much about it, Sakura," Her father replied softly, while trying to calm down Sakura's mom.

"Yea...I guess..." Sakura sighed, but somehow, she felt an uneasy feeling in her.

* * *

**So...I deleted my 2 stories, "I Promise" and "I'll Make You Love Me" because I didn't know what else to write anymore. As soon as I can come up with some ideas to continue the two stories, then I'll post them back up! **

**And as for this story, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Yea, my first chappies are always a little bit short and rushed, but that's just the way I write. So review, and the next chapter is already typed up. It'll be up soon! **

**REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW.  
**


	2. I Choose You

**I Choose You**

***_My first chapter wasn't all that great, huh? Um, well here's the next chapter. Enjoy._

Sasuke yawned and sat up.

"Sasuke! Get ready, we're going to the company to choose your fiancée!" Mikoto's voice came from downstairs.

"Awww, shit..." Sasuke groaned and rolled his eyes. "Man, I hope there's at least one that's my type..."

* * *

Sakura brushed her teeth lazily and stared at herself in the mirror. 'I don't have to worry. There are a lot of other girls...upper class women, to be exact. So really, I have no chance of being chosen...' She thought and shrugged.

* * *

Sasuke got out of his car as they arrived at the company. "How many girls do I have to choose from?" He asked.

"There's about 20," Fugaku answered.

Sasuke sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "That's so much...how am I supposed to choose only one girl? And what if I don't like any of them?" He groaned.

"Don't worry. They're all beautiful, and I'm pretty sure you'll at least like one or two of them," Mikoto put her hand on his shoulder, reassuringly.

"Whatever," Sasuke shrugged.

As they entered, Sasuke nearly gaped at the line of girls. "Oh,**_ hell _**no...This is way more than 20..."

* * *

Rika(Sakura's mom), and Yamato(Sakura's dad) stepped out hurriedly. "Come on, we're late!"

They rushed Sakura out of the car. "Ok, ok, geez!" Sakura exclaimed as her parents dragged her towards the huge building.

"Oh my god, I told you to hurry up! We're 20 minutes late, now!" Rika scolded Sakura.

"Well, I gotta get ready, you know-,"

"Stop arguing! We need to get there before they call our names!"

* * *

Sasuke went down the line of girls, as their family names and their own names were called.

"Ichiru family, Suzuka," Fugaku announced. A girl about Sasuke's age stepped out.

Sasuke looked at her, up and down, then shook his head.

"Next. Hatake family, Haruka." Again and again, Sasuke shook his head.

"Sasuke, is there really no one you like here?" Mikoto sighed. "No." He answered immediately.

"Okura family, Yumi," Sasuke looked at her carefully. Then, like the others, he shook his head at her.

Fugaku and Mikoto looked at each other with worried expressions. "Son, you have to pick one," Fugaku replied.

"I know...I will..." Sasuke crossed his arms.

"We only have 4 more to go...you've rejected 42 girls so far..." Mikoto shook her head at him.

"Just keep going," Sasuke was getting irritated. None of them looked interesting, fun, or his type. Sure, they were pretty, but they all looked like boring, emotionless dolls.

"Takashi family, Shinobu," Sasuke, again, shook his head.

"...next...Haruno family, Sakura." The next girl stood in place.

"Haruno family, Sakura," Fugaku repeated.

The girl didn't step forward.

"Excuse me, aren't you Sakura Haruno?" Mikoto asked politely.

"No, I am Kira of the Gatsuki family," The girl replied and bowed respectfully.

"Hm? Then where is Sakura? Is anyone here from the Haruno family?" Fugaku looked at the 3 remaining girls. They all shook their head. Sasuke smirked and rolled his eyes.

Just then, a loud noise was heard at the door. They all turned to see Sakura and her parents. "We're here! We're the Haruno family! We're here!" Rika exclaimed.

Sasuke's eyes widened, seeing Sakura. "That girl..." His mind flashed back to when she bumped into him.

"You know her?" Mikoto asked.

"Hn..." Sasuke smirked as he walked over to them. Fugaku and Mikoto followed after him.

Sakura gasped, seeing him walk over to her. 'Oh my gosh...he...he's the Uchiha family's son? He's that jerk who I bumped into yesterday!' She thought.

"You are...the Haruno family?" Sasuke greeted them and bowed.

Sakura's parents nodded.

"...and you are...Sakura. Nice to meet you, _again_." He made a small evil smile at her. Sakura's eye twitched, seeing his smile.

"Oh, you know each other already?" Fugaku smiled.

"I ran into her yesterday when I was coming home," Sasuke replied.

Sakura's eyes widened when he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Sakura's parents looked at each other nervously. "Father, mother...I choose Sakura of the Haruno family." Sasuke announced. Sakura's jaw dropped open.

"How perfect. We are actually much honored to have a daughter-in-law from the Haruno family. Without the Harunos, the Uchihas would have never been successful. We are in-laws now...um, Yamato and Rika san, right?" Mikoto smiled at them.

"Ah...yea..." Sakura's parents nodded.

"Wha...wait, wait! I don't wanna get married to this jerk! No way am I gonna spend my life with him!" Sakura exclaimed.

Everyone stared at her with surprised expressions. "Did you just...call my son a _jerk_?" Mikoto narrowed her eyes at Sakura.

"He called me a pink haired brat yesterday-," Sasuke covered her mouth immediately. "Ah...actually, we're very good friends. I apologized to her yesterday when I bumped into her and we became friends. Pink-haired-brat is just my nickname for her," Sasuke smiled as he lied to them.

"Oh, Sakura...you're already good friends with him...I guess it'll be ok to let you marry him. Besides...it's not like we'll never see you again. And also, he's pretty good looking and he seems like a nice boy," Rika replied, looking dreamily at Sasuke.

Sakura shook her head frantically.

"Well then, it's set. Our son is marrying your daughter," Fugaku and Yamato shook hands.

Sasuke looked at Sakura, who glared hatefully back at him as their parents walked away, chatting with each other. "Hn. You're quite interesting...you owe me for rudely bumping into me yesterday. This is payback...and you now belong to me. Oh, and since we're going to be married...make sure you don't fall in love with me," Sasuke winked and smirked at her.

"You jerk! Why would I fall in love with you?" Sakura struggled to get out of his arms.

"Shut up, pink haired brat. Just go along with the flow. But under one condition..." Sasuke let go of her slowly. "...Our marriage will have no love in it, whatsoever. I already have a girlfriend. I plan to marry her in the future...so you and I divorce will pretty quickly. You're fine with that, right?"

Sakura glared at him and looked away. "I don't care. As long as I still have my own life to control-,"

"Oh no, you've got it all wrong...you belong completely and entirely to **_me_**. Until we divorce, I control your life from now on, Sakura Haruno..." Sasuke smiled sarcastically at her.

"You...you...fucking ass-mmph!" Sasuke covered her mouth again. "Sh, sh...damn, watch your language in here. You're quite rebellious, aren't you?" Sasuke sighed and shook his head.

Sakura pulled his hand off. "I'm not! I just don't want to marry you!" She glared at him.

"It's only for a short while...just until I find the right time to marry Karin..." Sasuke replied.

"Karin? Then why don't you just go marry her? She's rich, too isn't she?" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"She is. But her parents don't own any companies in Japan...and even if they did, they have no family relations or interest appeal to my parents, so that's why she isn't one of the candidates to choose for my bride. Get the situation, stupid?" Sasuke flicked her forehead.

"Stupid? How can you just-,"

"Yea, yea...well, let's go join the parents, my _dear beloved_ fiancée," Sasuke replied sarcastically as he walked away.

"Oh my god...how can I have such bad luck?" She closed her eyes sadly. "Naruto dumps me...Hinata cheats with him behind my back...and now, I have to…**marry**… someone I don't even know..."

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura sat awkwardly next to each other as their parents talked.

"So the wedding will be in a week. We hope you two will get along by the end of this week…you know, get to know each other better," Mikoto smiled at her son.

"Yea, we will. I intend to take her out every day," Sasuke smirked and winked at Sakura.

Sakura shot him a death glare

. "That's good. Won't it be fun, Sakura?" Rika nudged Sakura's arm. "Yea, sure," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I know it must be awkward for you since you've just met yesterday, but I'm sure you two will be a fine couple," Fugaku nodded his head.

"Yep, we most certainly will be," Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand and held it.

Sakura dug her nails into his skin. Sasuke's eyes twitched as he tightened his grip on her. He winced a bit as he felt her nails piercing painfully at his palm. He silently fell in defeat as he quickly let go of her hand. Sakura smiled cockily.

"Well, it was nice meeting you guys. We hope we can hold a small party to announce the engagement tomorrow," Fugaku replied as he stood and shook hands with Sakura's father.

"Most certainly! Just give us a call," Yamato grinned and nodded.

"Then, we'll be on our way. Thanks for coming. Come on Sasuke-,"

"I wanna spend time with Sakura," Sasuke put his arms around waist and jerked her forcefully to him.

"What, no way! I-,"

"Sakura, I think it'll be fine. You guys can get to know each other more," Rika smiled at her daughter and left with Yamato before Sakura could respond back to them.

"Um…well, I guess it'll be ok. Make sure she gets home safely, Sasuke," Mikoto placed a gently hand on Sasuke's shoulder before following after Fugaku.

"What the hell, you bastard…I want to go home. I can't even stand to look at you!" Sakura struggled out his embrace.

"Well you can't. Both our parents already left…just spend the day with me, hm?" Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and walked ahead.

"Why should I?" Sakura quickly followed after him.

"Duh, because you're my soon-to-be-wife," Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.

"Still, I don't get why you would want to spend time with me. We're only gonna be married for a short while anyways," Sakura sighed.

"Ha, didn't I say you're mines now? So in the time being, you're gonna be with me every day and do what I say," Sasuke smirked.

"That's just practically being your servant!" Sakura glared at him.

"Nah, don't worry, I'm not that mean," Sasuke chuckled.

"Lies." Sakura's eye twitched in annoyance.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her attitude. They got to his car and he got in.

"Where are you even taking me?" Sakura asked as she just stood there. "Well, if you wanna know, then get in. If you don't, I'm gonna leave you here," Sasuke replied as he started the engine. "What the…if you're gonna leave me, then why didn't you just let me go home with my parents, you jerk!" Sakura crossed her arms.

"Oh? So you're not coming in? Then bye." Sasuke stated as he drove the car forward.

"W…wait! Don't leave me here! Come back, asshole!" Sakura took off her shoe and threw it at the car.

Sasuke immediately stepped on the breaks and drove back to her. Sakura stared at him hatefully and grabbed the shoe that she threw at him. She put it on quickly and went in the car with him. "Heh, you should've gotten in the first time instead of arguing with that big mouth of yours, pink haired brat," Sasuke laughed.

"Go to hell." Sakura groaned and looked away from him.

"You really are rude. We just met yesterday and you're already telling me to _go to hell_," Sasuke scoffed.

"Rude? I'm rude! You're the one who's rude! You didn't help me up when I fell yesterday, you called me a pink-haired brat, you're forcing me to marry you, and you keep saying that I have to do whatever you want! Ugh…" Sakura crossed her arms.

"Aha, you bumped into me first though," Sasuke shrugged.

"It was an accident! I didn't bump into you purpose. You're overreacting with that. I was running because…" Sakura stopped immediately, remember the incident with Naruto and Hinata. She swallowed and tightened her hands into fists.

Sasuke glanced at her. "Because?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Shut up, forget it," Sakura looked away.

"Heh, you're weird," Sasuke smirked. He was a bit surprised that she didn't say anything back. He noticed her expression was a bit sad. 'Hn. She really is a weird one…this marriage will be interesting…'

* * *

**So there goes the second chapter. Sorry if it doesn't seem all that great. I'm feeling a bit lazy to write stories these days...aha, but tell me what you think of it so far, ok? REVIEW.**


	3. Quarrel

**Quarrel**

_*Wazzzzup! Sorry for delaying this story for so long. I never had the time to write it, haha. But anyways, ENJOY! _

_

* * *

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After long moments of silence, Sasuke cleared his throat. "Hey pink haired brat…you know, you've had that sad expression for a while now. You look like an ugly sadistic, love struck teenager," He replied straightforwardly.

Sakura twitched. Anger immediately overcame her feeling of sadness. "Goddamn, you're so irritating. Where the hell are you taking me anyways?" She groaned.

"You really wanna know?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Sakura nodded.

"To get you a dress," Sasuke stated.

"Huh? A dress? But why?" Sakura's eyes widened.

"For the engagement party tomorrow. I wouldn't want you to show up in some ugly ass dress…it'd be an embarrassment for me and my family. Besides, I wouldn't want people to see me with a bride that has no taste in clothing," Sasuke smirked.

"What…what the hell! I have nice dresses, too! It's not like I'm that poor! My family came from a wealthy background. You Uchihas wouldn't even be at the top of Japan if the Harunos didn't hand over the company to you guys," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"True that…but look at you, now. You look like a…uh…well, I can't even describe it…" Sasuke looked up and down at her.

Sakura blushed in embarrassment. "Shut up! Keep your eyes on the road…shit, don't look at me like that," She glared at him.

"Hn. There's nothing to look at, anyways. Now that I've taken an observation of you…I'm kinda disappointed. You have a big forehead, weird green eyes, a disfigured nose, dry lips, you're flat chested, you have no ass, and who the hell in this world has pink hair?" Sasuke laughed at her.

Sakura gaped. "My forehead isn't that big! My eyes are emerald, and I think they're pretty unique for my real eye color. My nose isn't fucking disfigured, my lips are soft as hell…and…and…" She cupped her breasts. "I am sooo not flat chested! I have a better looking ass than you, I bet! And my hair color is one of a kind…oh, don't even get me started on your chicken-ass hair," Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

"Chicken ass hair? What the hell are you talking about…my hairstyle is the best for men. Look, your hair has dead ends," Sasuke took a small piece of her hair and pulled it.

"Stop it! That hurts!" Sakura slapped his hand away.

"Hehe, and see this…" He poked at her stomach. "Your fat is pouring out," He stated.

Sakura turned red. She pouted and covered her stomach with her hands.

"Heh, you're so fun to mess with. It's gonna be a fun marriage," Sasuke chuckled.

"Go die." Sakura scowled.

Sasuke suddenly stopped the car. "Sure, I'll go die," He replied sarcastically and got out.

"Where are you going?" Sakura blinked.

"We're here," Sasuke said as he closed the car door before she could respond back.

Sakura opened the door to see a store with expensive-looking clothes. "They're so pretty…" She replied in awe as she got out, also.

"I told you so. It's much better than your dresses at home, right?" Sasuke locked his car and walked head.

Sakura hated to admit it, but they were much prettier.

"Come on," Sasuke held out his hand to her.

Sakura stared at him like he was crazy. "You don't expect me to hold hands with you, right?" She stepped away further from him.

"What? We're gonna have to do more than that in public from now on, anyways…so it's a start," Sasuke shrugged.

"But you said this marriage is only going last a few months so there's no need to progress this relationship. And…and you said there's gonna be no love in this marriage-,"

"Heh, holding hands doesn't mean we're in love. Don't tell me you've already fallen for me?" Sasuke smirked.

Sakura's face twisted in disgust. "Ew, ew, ew….I can't believe you just said that…ew…there's no way I would ever fall in love with someone like you!" She pretended to throw up and walked into the store without taking his hand.

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever…I'd never fall in love with such a lame girl, either," He muttered and went in the store after her.

* * *

When Sasuke came in, all the workers bowed their heads. "Sasuke Uchiha," They all replied.

Sasuke smiled and bowed his head as well.

Sakura blinked, just staring at them.

"Um, I'd like to find a dress for this girl. You guys should all know that I'm getting engaged tomorrow," Sasuke replied.

Sakura saw a female worker come to her. Sakura almost shrieked when the worker just lifted both her arms up. "Wh…what are you-,"

"Shut up. She's just gonna measure your size," Sasuke sighed as he walked around the store, looking at the dresses.

Sakura just stood there as they measured her waist, arms, legs, and her height.

"We have a collection ready for you. This way, please," The workers guided her to the back of the store.

Sasuke took a magazine from the corner of the cashier desk and scanned through it boredly.

"Young master, would you like to see your fiancée in the dresses?" One of the workers came back and asked.

Sasuke thought for a bit. 'Hm, I could make fun of her in each dress…' He thought and smirked. "Sure," He replied as he followed the worker to the dressing room.

As soon as he got in, he saw Sakura in a white gown with some workers zipping up the back of it.

She looked over to him and glared. "These are nice dresses, but why do they have to be so fucking tight?" She scowled as she shifted uncomfortably in them.

Sasuke walked over to her. "Excuse me," Sasuke replied. The workers stepped away from Sakura.

Sakura flinched when Sasuke put one arm around her waist.

"What are you doing?" She blushed when she felt his warm breath on her ear.

"Hey, no cussing in here, ok? Besides, we're gonna get married and the public is going to know. We need to act like a couple, whether you like it or not," He muttered so that only she could hear. "…and besides, the only reason why this dress doesn't fit you is because you're too fat," Sasuke smirked.

"I'm not fat! Fucki-,"

Sasuke immediately covered her mouth. He glanced back and noticed the workers were staring at them weirdly. "Um…sorry…can you guys leave us alone for a bit?" Sasuke requested. One by one, the workers quickly exited the room. Sasuke sighed and let go of Sakura. "I just told you to not cuss. You need to act more proper from now on," Sasuke put his hands in his pockets.

"Well, you're the one who called me fat!" Sakura glared at him.

Sasuke didn't reply. Sakura saw his eyes roam up and down her. "Hm…" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "…this dress doesn't suit you for some reason…" He replied.

"What? I think it's perfectly fine!" Sakura stared at herself in the mirror and smiled.

"Nah. Go pick another dress. They said they already had a collection for you, right?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Yea…but…I really like this-,"

"Just go and change. Trust me, you gotta look better than that if you're gonna be standing beside me as my wife," Sasuke replied.

"Ugh, you talk as if you're _that_ good-looking. Please, I've seen cuter guys than you," Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance. "So what? I've seen prettier girls than you," He argued back.

"I never said anything about myself!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yea, but you insulted my perfectly, good looks," Sasuke shrugged.

"You're so conceited," Sakura groaned.

"It's called confidence," Sasuke sighed and crossed his arms.

"No it's not! You're just-,"

"Just hurry up and go get another dress. If you don't, I'm gonna go find one and undress you, myself," Sasuke smirked at her.

Sakura blushed. "Pervert…" She glared at him before going to find another dress.

* * *

Sasuke eventually gave up after seeing her try on a few more dresses. "Ah, damn it. None of them look good on you. I'm gonna be in the car…so just choose one and come after you're done. Since my company owns this store, you don't have to pay," Sasuke replied and walked out of the dressing room.

"_**None**_ of them look good on me? That asshole…" Sakura sighed as she went to choose her final dress.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was making his way outside. "That damn woman…" He looked at his watch and sighed. "…we took a whole hour and no dresses look good on her at all," Sasuke got in his car and waited.

After a few moments, Sakura came running out with a bag. "I got it! I think this one looks great on me!" Sakura beamed happily and got in the car.

"Uh-huh," Sasuke agreed sarcastically.

Sakura's smile immediately disappeared. "Geez, if you want us to act like a couple, then at least compliment me! Man, it's gonna be hell, living with you…even if it's only gonna be for a few months," She rolled her eyes.

"Hn, same here. And compliment you? I don't see you doing anything nice to me either," Sasuke shrugged.

"I'm a girl, so you need to show me respect. Seriously, you're not a gentleman at all!" Sakura glared angrily at him.

"Oh please, you're not that lady-like at all either," Sasuke chuckled as he started the car and drove.

Sakura pouted and looked away from him. "…whatever. Where are you taking me, now?" She asked as she put her seatbelt on.

"Ah, I need to meet up with Karin and tell her the situation…she'll probably misunderstand if she sees me getting married. I'll just drop you off somewhere," Sasuke replied.

"Ugh, fine. Take me to the coffee café by the high school near your company. I'll get a drink then call someone to pick me up," Sakura insisted.

Sasuke nodded. "Oh yea, I was wondering…why were you running yesterday? You looked like you were crying, too," He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

Sakura sighed. Why did he have to bring that up again? "It's none of your business." She muttered quietly.

Sasuke noticed she had on that sad expression again. 'Something bad probably happened to her…ah, whatever. It's not like I care anyways.' He thought. He saw the coffee café down the street and parked his car on the side of the road. "Ok, I'll drop you off here. Don't forget any of your stuff in my car…I'll die of embarrassment if I have any of your ugly things," Sasuke smirked.

Sakura didn't say anything. She grabbed her bag with her dress in it and got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride…now, go get into a car crash or something and die," She responded and made a quick sarcastic smile at him before slamming the door shut.

"Wha…" Sasuke looked in his mirror to see her walking across the street to the café. "…she's so childish, really, always telling me to go die. Stupid pink-haired brat," He scoffed and drove off.

Sakura glanced back to see his car gone. She let out a deep breath and took out her cell phone. She went to her contact list and scrolled down. She quickly erased Naruto and Hinata's phone number. "I really don't want to have anything to do with them anymore…" She sighed.

"Ah, shit…I guess I'll just have to call Ino to come."

* * *

Ino groaned as she saw Sakura at the café. "How the hell did she end up all the way downtown anyways? Geez, calling me to come all the way here just to pick her up…" She parked her car in front of Sakura.

Sakura got in and grinned at her. "Sorry, Ino!" She apologize and closed the door.

"Yea, yea. Why the hell are you even here?" Ino rolled her eyes.

"Ah…it's kinda complicated, actually…" Sakura sighed. 'The engagement party is gonna be all over Japan, so they'll know tomorrow anyways.' She thought.

Ino glanced down to the bag Sakura was holding. "What did you buy?" She asked curiously.

'Shit!' Sakura cursed herself for not hiding it earlier. "Ah…it's just…a new outfit," She lied.

"Let me see!" Ino looked at her eagerly.

"No way! I'll wear it tomorrow," Sakura grinned.

"You're so stingy," Ino rolled her eyes again.

"Whatever. You're too nosy," Sakura giggled.

"So where are you headed to?" Ino asked.

"Um…just drive me home."

* * *

Sasuke dialed Karin's phone number. "Hello? Yea, hey babe…can you come meet me at the beach near your house? I need to talk to you."

Karin agreed and Sasuke hung up.

"Damn…I can't wait until this whole marriage thing is over…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond ring. He smiled at the sight of it. "As soon as we 'divorce', I'll marry Karin. I've waited long enough…"

* * *

Karin walked over to the beach. She groaned in exhaustion. "Couldn't he just come and pick me up? Seriously…I have to walk all the way here…" She whined as she kicked some sand.

"Karin!"

She turned around when she heard Sasuke's voice. She stood there, crossing her arms and glared at him.

"Sorry for calling you out so suddenly, babe," Sasuke apologized.

"What's so urgent that you made me walk all the way here?" Karin raised an eyebrow.

"Really, now, your house is just around the corner," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Still, it's tiring," Karin pouted.

"Alright, alright…ok, so I need to tell you something," Sasuke sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

Karin stayed quiet, listening.

"Um, to put it simply…I…I'm getting married." Sasuke stated quietly.

Karin gaped. "WHAT!" She exclaimed. "You date me for 2 years and then now you come to say that you're suddenly getting married! Who's this hoe that you've been dating behind my back-,"

"Listen, listen to me!" Sasuke grabbed her shoulder and glared at her. "My parents arranged this, ok? It's not my fault. I had to pick a bride from another wealthy family so my dad won't be fired from being the president of his company…but this marriage means nothing to me. I'm going to divorce that girl I chose in just a few months…but you have to wait for me, ok?" Sasuke looked at her with pleading eyes.

"The hell? What kind of girl did you choose anyways-,"

"She's just a childish, stupid girl. You don't have to worry. She and I agreed to divorce in 2 or 3 months from now on," Sasuke replied.

"Two to three months? How am I supposed to wait that long?" Karin jerked away from his grasp.

"Karin…" Sasuke sighed.

"If you expect me to wait that long for you, then I'd rather not do it-,"

"Then all this time, I meant nothing to you? You can't even wait for me?" Sasuke looked at her with hurtful expression.

Karin stayed quiet.

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. "Fine, then. All this time, I can't believe I actually thought you loved me back. This is so stupid," Sasuke took out his ring and threw towards her.

Karin turned around to yell at him, but stopped when she saw the diamond ring on the floor. Her eyes widened and she looked back up at him. "What…" Her eyes averted down to the ring again.

"…after I divorce that girl…I'm planning to spend the rest of my life with you. I stayed with you for 2 years because I love you. I stayed with you for two years because I wanted to marry you and have a future with you. But if you can't wait for me, then you're not even worth it." Sasuke glared at her and turned to go.

Karin felt guilt build up in her. She ran to him and grabbed his shirt. "Sasuke…" She bit her lip. "…I didn't know. I just can't think of you marrying another girl, even if it's fake." Karin muttered.

Sasuke didn't reply.

Karin hugged him from behind and leaned her head on his back. "Fine, I'll wait for you…" She whispered.

Sasuke closed his eyes in relief. "So I take that as a yes?" He turned around to face her.

"What?" Karin blinked in confusion.

"You'll wait for me…so you agree to marry me?" Sasuke smiled.

"Obviously, stupid," Karin smirked.

Sasuke grinned happily and kissed her lightly on the lips.

* * *

**Sorry if you hated the Sasuke and Karin moment, lol. Well, this chapter doesn't have much to it, but REVIEW and tell me how you liked it. The next chapter will be about Sasuke and Sakura's engagement party...look forward to that! ;)**


	4. Engagement Party

**Engagement Party**

_*This chapter is a bit short...so yea. :) Sorry if this story is too fast paced...  
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* * *

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The first thing Sakura did when she woke up was take out her dress. She quickly looked in her mirror on the wall and held the dress up to her shoulders.

"I think this one is better than all the rest…" She smiled.

"Sakura!" Rika called from downstairs. "Get ready! We're leaving for the engagement party in a bit!"

Sakura sighed and went to take a quick shower.

* * *

Sakura slipped on the dress and applied some light makeup on herself.

"Sakura, hurry up!" Rika came into her room.

"Ah, mom…can you help me with my hair? I already curled it, but I think I missed some at the back." Sakura asked as she handed her mom the hair curler.

Rika took it and grinned happily. "I can't believe you're getting married…and isn't Sasuke pretty hot?" She whispered.

Sakura gaped. "Mom! Ew…." She cringed.

Rika only chuckled. She quickly curled the last few strands of hair and turned the curler off. "Ok, all done. You look beautiful. Come on, we don't want to be late again, like yesterday," Rika kissed Sakura on the head and exited the room.

Sakura let out a deep breath and stared at her reflection. "Well…it'll only be for a few months. I guess I'll have to put up with that asshole bossing me around for a bit."

* * *

Sasuke straightened his tie and smirked. "It'll be fun teasing her for a few months…heh…" He heard the door open and turned around to see his mom.

"Sasuke, are you ready? We're leaving right now," Mikoto walked over to him.

"Yea," Sasuke nodded.

"Aw, I can't believe you're getting married. After this engagement party, we'll announce the wedding date…you're growing up so fast," Mikoto smiled happily at him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes when she kissed his cheek. "Yea, yea mom…let's go."

* * *

Both Sasuke and Sakura's car arrived at the same time.

Sasuke stepped out of the car and his eyes averted to Sakura's car. As soon as Sakura came out, Sasuke didn't even recognize her. He nearly gaped when she turned around so she was facing him.

He certainly didn't want to admit it, but she was kinda…well…_breathtaking_. Sasuke observed her dress and noticed it fitted her a lot better than the others she tried on. It was a white, mermaid-style dress that clung perfectly to her curves. There were a few flower designs on it, but the dress itself was simple and pretty. He noticed how her hair was curled to frame her face and the style complimented her outfit.

"Wow…isn't she beautiful?" Mikoto whispered.

Sasuke blinked and came back into reality. "Hn." He tore his gaze away from Sakura and put his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, don't be so stubborn. Imagine how beautiful she'll look like on the wedding day…" Mikoto sighed dreamily. "I'm so lucky to have such a perfect daughter-in-law."

Sasuke once again rolled his eyes at her.

Sakura noticed the way he was staring at her and bit her lip nervously. 'Maybe I look ugly in this dress, too…I wonder what other people will think of me…' She thought.

"Ah, Sakura! Look, there's Sasuke. Isn't he handsome?" Rika pointed.

"Yea…" Sakura replied without even looking.

"Come on, you two have to walk in together," Yamato said as he walked ahead towards Sasuke's family. Sakura and Rika followed after.

Yamato and Fugaku shook hands while Rika and Mikoto hugged.

Sasuke and Sakura stood behind their parents and didn't even bother to greet each other.

"What are you two doing? Hold hands, already. You must greet all the guests together," Fugaku smirked at their disgusted faced when he mentioned _holding hands_.

With their parents looking at them, Sakura and Sasuke glanced at each other. Sasuke sighed and walked over to her, reaching out his elbow to her. Sakura faked a smile at the parents and hesitantly linked her arm around his. "Well, let's go in. The guests must be waiting for a while now," Fugaku replied as he and Mikoto walked into the building, followed by Sakura's parents.

Sakura glared at Sasuke and tried to pull her arm away from him.

"Hey, we need to act like a couple. Don't start acting so immature now, ok?" Sasuke smirked at her.

"Ugh." Sakura rolled her eyes at him and decided to go along with it.

Sasuke dragged her along with him. Just before they entered, Sasuke stopped and put his hand on hers.

Sakura blushed at the sudden, gentle touch.

"Before we go in…are you ready? From this day on, you'll be announced to the world as my fiancée." Sasuke stared at her seriously.

Sakura was surprised by this. She had never seen him this serious before. She took a deep breath and looked at the door in front of her. Well, this is it. She'll be known to the world as Sasuke's fiancée, and then eventually, they'll be married. But it was ok…it will only be for a few months. Sakura swallowed the lump of air in her throat. "….yea…I'm ready…." She muttered and nodded her head slightly.

Sasuke proceeded and slowly pushed the door open. Sakura gasped when as soon as the door opened, cameras immediately began shooting and flashing at her. She blinked a few times to see and nearly tripped over the door step while walking.

Sasuke quickly caught her and held her by the waist tightly.

The cameras flashed vigorously at their position.

"Be careful. I don't want you embarrassing yourself in front of everyone. And from now on, everyday is going to be filled with cameras and the paparazzi. Welcome to my world, Sakura Haruno," Sasuke whispered into her ear and guided her down the aisle.

Sakura already felt as if this was their marriage ceremony. She felt a little uncomfortable with cameras taking her every shot. Her eyes averted down to her dress, wondering if she looked good in it. 'Is this what it's like to be a celebrity? Damn, they must have it hard.' Sakura thought as she and Sasuke reached their parents, who were standing by a beautifully made, chocolate cake.

"Smile." Sasuke murmured as Sakura faked a smile at the constantly shooting cameras.

"Do I really have to be surrounded by cameras everyday?" Sakura muttered quietly.

"Yep." Sasuke smirked. He glanced over at her and noticed she kept looking nervously down at her dress. "What's wrong?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"U…um…you said I didn't look good in any dresses yesterday. And judging from how you were looking at me a few minutes ago, outside, I probably don't look good in this dress, too." Sakura bit her bottom lip.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her and his lips twitched into a small smile. "Hn. Stop worrying…you look beautiful." He admitted.

Sakura froze, his words ringing in her mind. Beautiful? Did he just call her_ beautiful_?

For a moment, she thought he was being sarcastic, but when she turned to look at him, his smile was sincere and truthful. He seemed a lot kinder…but then again, maybe it was all just an act in front of the cameras."Thanks. You don't look bad yourself," Sakura replied sarcastically.

Sasuke's smile disappeared as he gave her an annoyed look. "Really now. I just complimented you, and you're being sarcastic towards me."

"Whatever. Don't think I'm stupid enough to see through that acting," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Acting? What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke looked at her, confused.

"You're pretending to be nice to me, aren't you? You think I'll fall right into that trap, and then as soon as we end this party, you'll probably say that this dress is ugly and start complaining on how I didn't look good enough to stand by you in front of all these cameras. Well, it's definitely not working, Sasuke Uchiha," Sakura replied and went back to smiling at the cameras.

Sasuke just stared at her in amusement. Heh, she was really stupid. How could she not see that he really meant it? She turns everything into an argument. Sasuke laughed quietly and shook his head. 'Sakura Haruno…I admit, you can be such a cute girl sometimes.'

* * *

Naruto and Hinata were driving along the road. The red lights came on and Naruto stepped on the brakes.

"How did she take it?" Hinata asked nervously.

"She cried…she was really hurt…" Naruto sighed and put his head on the steering wheel.

"We should've told her sooner. I really didn't want to hurt her feelings," Hinata bit her bottom lip sadly.

"I know. It was our fault. If I only I broke up with her sooner, it wouldn't affect her as much. But then…I still loved her, so…I couldn't bring myself to do it." Naruto muttered quietly.

Hinata felt so guilty. Sakura was her bestfriend and she was so ashamed to be dating Naruto behind Sakura's back. But she loved Naruto….and Naruto loved her. There wasn't any room for Sakura, anymore. Hinata glanced over at Naruto, and immediately, she froze.

Across the street, there was a store with a TV announcing "today's" news...and Sakura was in it.

"Naruto…why is Sakura on TV?" Hinata narrowed her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto blinked.

Hinata pointed and Naruto looked to his left to see Sakura on TV, linking arms with Sasuke.

His eyes widened in surprised. Naruto turned his car and parked it on the curve of the sidewalk and quickly stepped outside. He ran into the small store with Hinata following behind him and they both stared at the TV.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha. He's the son of the president of the richest company in Japan…why is Sakura with him?" Hinata shook her head in confusion.

They listened to the news intensely. Naruto was staring at the screen with jealousy and Hinata still had a confused expression.

* * *

"Today I'm here to announce publicly, the engagement of my son, Sasuke Uchiha." Fugaku started. "This engagement will keep my position of being the president of the Uchiha Company. My son is engaged to the daughter of the Haruno Family. The Haruno family is the reason why this company even exists, so we are very grateful to have a daughter-in-law from such a respected family. The wedding will be a week from today." Fugaku smiled and turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "I proudly announce the official engagement of my son, and Sakura Haruno."

Sakura almost jumped at the immediate clapping of the audience.

A man walked over with two rings.

Sakura blinked. Wasn't this just an announcement of the engagement? Why are they already exchanging wedding rings?

Sasuke saw the confused look on her face and chuckled. "Stupid, those are engagement rings. We'll get our wedding rings the day of our actual wedding." Sasuke explained.

"Oh…" Sakura muttered stupidly to herself.

Sasuke took one ring while Sakura took the other.

Sasuke held out his hand to her, expecting her to put the ring on him first. Sakura rolled her eyes at him and slid the ring on his finger roughly.

Sasuke shrugged away her childish attitude and merely smirked at her. He slowly held her hand and brought it up towards him. Sakura blushed at how gently he slid the ring on her finger, as if she was so delicate and precious. She gasped when he suddenly pulled her closer to him until their noses were almost touching. "Hn. You're mine from now on, got it?" He smiled at her.

Sakura almost fell for that seemingly real, charming smile…but she could see that devilish look in his eyes.

'Great.' She thought and smiled back sarcastically.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata stood in shock, not being able to believe what they just heard. "H…how can she…how can she be engaged to someone only 2 days after I broke up with her?" Naruto gaped and blinked in confusion.

Hinata was at loss for words. "M...Maybe she was dating him behind your back, too. She-,"

"No. Sakura wouldn't do that…she loves me way too much to do that." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the screen, starring especially at Sasuke.

"Hinata…we need to go and get some answers from her."

* * *

When the announcing of the engagement was done, everyone scattered throughout the room, talking, eating, and catching up on old times.

"Come, you should meet some of my close friends if you're going to be my wife," Sasuke replied as he took her hand and dragged her through the crowd.

Some people came up and asked constant questions, which Sakura was going to answer, but Sasuke just told her to ignore them.

After a while, Sasuke stopped in front of five people who looked the same age as Sakura. They were _all _guys.

"Whoaaaa, Sasuke…you got yourself a pretty good catch there, eh?" A guy with spiked up, orange hair, eyed up and down Sakura's body.

"Stop undressing her with your eyes, dipshit. She's mine," Sasuke held her waist and pulled her to him. Sakura glanced at him, wondering why he was so possessive over her.

"Really now, Juugo…she's Sasuke's fiancee. Well anyways, I'm Suigetsu. Nice to meet you, Sakura," Suigetsu took her hand and bent down. Sakura blushed when he kissed her hand gently and grinned at her. "Sasuke's lucky to have such a beautiful girl," He replied.

"Ah…thank you…" Sakura muttered shyly.

One by one, the guys introduced themselves to her. She mesmerized all of them, since they strangely stood in a line. From left to right was Juugo, Suigetsu, Gaara, Sai, and Neji. They were all really good looking, but as Sakura glanced back and forth from Sasuke, to them…she admitted Sasuke was the best one. Juugo seemed too childish(and perverted), Suigetsu was nice, but a little too clingy, Gaara was ok, but Sakura guessed that he was probably the quiet type, Sai was strangely too pale, and Neji had long hair….which necessarily wasn't Sakura's best taste in a hairstyle for a guy.

"So why'd you pick her, Sasuke?" Sai asked while taking sip out of his champagne.

"Why the hell would even ask that? Do you not see how gorgeous she is? Damn, if I could, I would take her to my bed and-,"

"Juugo!" Sasuke glared at him. "Can you keep your dirty thoughts in your mind, please? She's my soon-to-be-wife, and I'd kill you if you even think of touching her."Again, Sakura didn't get why he was so protective. She shrugged the thought off, since she knew it was all act anyways. They would have to act lovey-dovey in front of everyone…even though it disgusted her to even think of such a thing.

"So why'd you choose her?" Sai repeated and shot a warning look at Juugo for interrupting earlier.

"Hm…well, like Juugo said, she is quite beautiful, isn't she?" Sasuke smirked at Sakura. Sakura let out a sigh, and forced a sincere smile towards him. "…and she's from the Haruno family, so it'd benefit the company really well. And not to mention her personality, she's quite feisty when she's angry or annoyed. I like that about her…it'll make this marriage fun if I can tease her all the time," Sasuke chuckled.

"What the hell, you asshole. Like I'll _let_ you tease me," Sakura hissed at him.

Silence filled the air for a while.

Sasuke's friends look at her with surprised expressions. "Whoa, didn't expect _**that**_ to come outa her mouth. She is feisty when you tease her, huh? That makes her even cuter," Sai grinned.

"Yea, my first impression of her was that she was the shy and quiet type, but I guess I'm wrong." Suigetsu laughed.

"Yea…she is quite different," Sasuke put his hand over her shoulder and squeezed it…a bit too hard. Sakura winced and glared hatefully at him. He just gave her an innocent look and Sakura resisted the urge to punch the living hell out of him.

"So how old are you? You look about our age…" Neji spoke out.

Sakura noticed how smooth his voice was…it was almost _sexy_."U…um, I'm 17. I'm in my junior year of high school," She replied.

"Cool, so you're only one year younger than all of us. We're all homeschooled, but if we went to a public school like you, we'd be in our senior year," Neji nodded at her.

"So, did you blankly agree to this marriage, Sakura? Since everyone pretty much knows the girl who's chosen doesn't have much of a choice," Suigetsu asked.

"Tch, like hell did I agree so easily. Who would want to marry this rude, arrogant, jerk," Sakura scoffed.

"Well apparently, a lot of women would die for your place," Sasuke glared at her.

"Good. I'd gladly trade places with them," Sakura crossed her arms.

Sasuke let out a sigh and leaned closer to her. "Behave yourself, pink haired brat," He whispered into her ear.

Sakura could feel her cheeks getting hot…she hated it when he did that. As much as she hated his guts, whenever he touched her so gently like that, it made her get chills. Sakura didn't respond and avoided her gaze down at the floor. She could hear Sasuke's friends laughing at her.

"You two have quite the most amusing relationship we've ever seen. It's interesting, in a way," Sai smirked.

"Speaking of interesting, she's quite interesting herself, isn't she?" Neji raised an eyebrow as a small smile tweaked on his face. Sakura huffed…why do they always say that?

"Hn. Yea…she's more than the eye meets." Gaara finally spoke. His voice was similar to Neji's, but a bit deeper.

Sakura blinked in surprise when they all bowed to her.

"Overall…it's nice to meet you. It'll be a pleasure to know you as Sasuke's soon-to-be wife, Sakura **_Uchiha_**."

* * *

**Well, she's not Sakura UCHIHA officially yet, until their wedding. Hate it? Love it? REVIEW please. **


	5. Answers

**Answers**

_*Whew! This chapter is like...reaaaally...rushed through. I just typed it quickly, so sorry if it's too fast paced!*_

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Sakura sighed in relief as the last guests left, leaving her with her parents, Sasuke, Sasuke's parents, and Sasuke's friends.

She's been walking around, greeting people, the media, answering questions, and being dragged along with Sasuke throughout two whole hours. Her feet was killing her…she wasn't used to wearing high-heels for a long period of time. Realizing she was free from acting like a couple with Sasuke, she let go of his arm.

Sasuke smirked at her exhausted expression and put his hands in his pockets. "Tiring, isn't it?" He muttered.

"Ugh, very." Sakura brushed her hair back and fanned herself with her hand, trying to cool down.

"Yea, the parties are always like this, so you better get used to it," Suigetsu shrugged.

"Why are you guys still here, anyways? Don't you leave with your parents?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Well, we're all staying for just a bit to discuss certain matters," Neji replied.

Sasuke and Sakura's parents walked over to them, smiling. "He's right. We're thinking about enrolling Sasuke in the same high school as Sakura," Fugaku nodded.

Sakura and Sasuke froze on the spot.

"Why?" Sakura immediately blurted out. School was her only time away from Sasuke, and they were going to take that away from her.

"It's better for both of you. I mean, you two can spend more time together and it'll be a great opportunity to talk about future plans for your marriage," Rika grinned happily at Sakura. "And as for Sasuke's friends, we've already talked it out with their parents so they'll quit homeschooling and enroll in with Sasuke." Mikoto added in.

Sasuke and Sakura were nearly at loss for words. They glanced at each other and rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"Well? Sasuke, will you attend her highschool?" Mikoto asked with a hopeful tone.

Sasuke stared at his parents then glanced over at Sakura, who was slightly glaring at him. "Oh come on, Sasuke. You know, we all want to experience going to a public school, too. If you go, then we can all go with you," Sai urged on. Sasuke let out a sigh and bit his lower lip. He once again looked over Sakura and muttered a quiet, "Ok."

Sakura just gaped in disbelief. Her freedom was officially over now.

"Well, it's set then! Your son will attend the same high school as our daughter," Yamato shook hands with Fugaku.

Sakura groaned and shot a death glare over at Sasuke. "Seriously, why'd you have to agree?" She whispered to him.

"I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, pink haired brat, but can't you see that both our parents, as well as my friends want me to? I just can't let them down like that," Sasuke let out a stressed sigh.

Sakura blinked in surprise. 'So…he's doing this in order to make them happy…' She saw how he smiled at his happy friends and at both of their pleased parents. Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for him. 'Well, he isn't that much of a jerk if he thinks of other people's happiness before his own.' Her adoration of him disappeared in an instant when she thought about how he treated her. '…except for me.'

Sakura frowned and wondered how her days of living hell will be like with him.

* * *

As soon as he got in the car, Sasuke loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt a little. "Damn, that took longer than I expected…" He muttered to himself.

'Shit, now I have to go to school with her, too. Why do I have to go through so many expectations?' Sasuke sighed in frustration.

"Aren't you glad you get to attend the same high school as her? You two will get along so well," Mikoto smiled happily.

"Yea, I'm thrilled." Sasuke replied sarcastically.

"Oh come on, honey…she's beautiful, unique, and I can already see that you two are getting along so well. You two are meant to be," Mikoto sighed dreamily and looked over at Fugaku, expecting him to agree.

"…Sasuke…going to a public school can enable you to know more people, and maybe get more friends, as well. And like your mother said, Sakura is an exceptional woman…the Haruno family-,"

"I know. I won't complain anymore," Sasuke interrupted, not wanting to listen to all the business crap and history again.

* * *

Sakura sat in her car and turned to see Sasuke's car already leaving. She sighed and leaned her head back on the seat. 'My life is officially over…ugh…' Sakura groaned to herself and kicked her irritating high heels off.

She suddenly gasped, wondering how her friends will react to the news. "Aw man…they probably saw the engagement party all over T.V already…damn…"

Sakura thought of Naruto and Hinata and wondered what they will say to her at school tomorrow…if they even talked to her, that is. "Hn. I should totally make them jealous of me and Sasuke. It'll be payback for what they did to me." Sakura replied confidently, but imagining Naruto's hurt expression immediately made her wash away any thoughts of revenge. She let out a huff and closed her eyes. "…but I still love him…"

* * *

It was a long night, and Sakura forced herself to open her eyes from her comfortable slumber when the sunlight awoke her. She yawned and snuggled her face into her pillow, not wanting to get up yet. She attempted to close her eyes again to fall into another blissful sleep, and she was slowly drifting off-,

"SAKURA! Get up for school!"

Sakura groaned loudly as her eyes jerked open again. "Geez…" She tore herself away from her cozy blanket and got up lazily.

"Sakura!" Rika burst in the door.

"I'm up, I'm up," Sakura rolled her eyes and shuffled to the bathroom.

"Oh yea, be sure to dress nice! Sasuke's mother just called and said that Sasuke will be picking you up." Rika replied before hopping happily downstairs.

Sakura froze. She had forgotten about Sasuke. She let out a frustrated sigh and proceeded to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and dried her hair. Sakura went back into her room and looked at the clock, noticing that she only had about 30 minutes left. She hurriedly ran to her closet, opened it up and stared at the endless line of clothes hung. "Man, I need to take a break from shopping too much…" Sakura muttered to herself as she pulled out a casual, but elegant, outfit and threw it on the bed.

She slid on her shirt first, which was a black tanktop that clung perfectly to her curves and pulled over a light grey cardigan to make her look more "mature". She wore skinny jeans and slipped on her black gladiators. Sakura quickly brushed her hair and curled some of her layers before grabbing her bag and running downstairs.

"Is he here yet?" She asked Rika, who was about to open the door.

"Yep, he's right here," Rika grinned happily and swung the door open to reveal Sasuke, who was wearing a white long-sleeve with a vest over it, and jeans with black and white vans. Damn, he looked quite good in casual clothes…he almost seem like those attractive "bad boys". Sakura came back to reality when he smirked at her.

"Let's get going, shall we?" He replied and reached out a hand to her.

Sakura rolled her eyes and bid her mom goodbye before hesitantly putting her hands in Sasuke's. Sakura didn't know why, but she felt herself blushing when Sasuke entangled his fingers with hers and held onto her hand tightly.

Rika watched as they walked over to the car and smiled happily at them before closing the door.

Sakura glanced back over her shoulder to see her mom shutting the door and she tried to break her hand free from him, but he wouldn't let go. "Let go." She hissed and glared at him.

"Hn. Fine, fine," Sasuke chuckled at her and let go of her hand once they reached the car. "You got any friends at school? I hope you're not a loner," He teased as he got in the car.

"Of course I have friends!" Sakura sat in the passenger seat and stared at him like he was crazy.

"Well, just saying…cause with that attitude of yours, I was kinda afraid people would be tired of your constant temper issues."

Sakura's jaw dropped in disbelief. "I **_do not_** have temper issues." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

Sasuke just let out a laugh before driving off their property. "Whatever you say, pink haired brat," He shrugged.

Sakura ignored him and looked out the window. Naruto and Hinata popped into her mind and a rush of anxiety came over her. She admitted she was kind of nervous about seeing them together…it would hurt her so much. But overall, she was most surprised by the fact that Hinata was the one to cheat. Hinata was always the trustworthy and honest one…the innocent one, the one who Sakura could depend on. But apparently, Sakura thought wrong. And at that moment, memories of her and Naruto flashed into her thoughts. Surprisingly, Sakura felt like crying, but took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Naruto…" She whispered his name sorrowfully.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Apparently, he had heard her. 'Naruto? Who the hell is that?' He caught a glance at her and noticed that expression again…that sad expression that she always brushed off whenever he asked about what she was thinking about. He cleared his throat to get her attention, but as he looked over to her again, she seemed like she was in deep thought. "Pink haired brat." He called, but to no avail. They were coming to redlight, so Sasuke stepped on the breaks, harshly.

Sakura shrieked as she was torn away from her thoughts when she was suddenly jerked forward. "The hell! Will you please drive a little better?" She exclaimed at him.

"Put on your seatbelt." Sasuke merely stated.

Sakura pouted, but silently obeyed.

"Sooo…what were you thinking about? You had on that sad face again. Can you tell me the truth?" Sasuke asked straightforwardly.

Sakura raised her eyebrows in shock that he'd actually pay attention to her emotions. "I don't want-,"

"Don't say that you don't want to talk about it. Tell me," Sasuke interrupted.

"Why should I? It's none of your business," Sakura shrugged and looked away.

"Hm…actually, now that we're engaged, and you'll be my wife soon, I think it **is **my business." Sasuke replied.

Sakura sighed in defeat. Why did he always have something to say to everything? "…I'm just…" Sakura paused and wondered for a bit if she should tell him or not.

"Well?" Sasuke urged her to go on as the greenlight flashed and he started to drive again.

Sakura gripped her school bag tightly. "…just thinking about my ex-boyfriend…" She muttered.

Sasuke didn't reply back. Sakura sat there in silence, and felt that it would be too awkward to look at him.

She nearly jumped when he started to laugh. "What's so funny?" She glared up at him.

"I'm just surprised by the fact that you had a boyfriend. Wow, seriously? **_You_**, have a boyfriend?" Sasuke teased and continued laughing.

Sakura just let out a deep breath and tried not to get angry. "He cheated on me…" She added on.

Sasuke's eyebrows went up as he stopped laughing. He stared at her and noticed that she looks like she was about to cry. 'Shit, please don't cry.' Sasuke thought to himself. He wouldn't know what the hell to do if she did.

Sakura stared out the window and saw her school coming into view. "Hey, Sasuke…" Sakura replied in a gentle tone.

Sasuke realized that this was the first time she had said his name without "Uchiha" or calling him nicknames. He didn't know why, but strangely, he liked the way she called his name…it gave him a soothing feeling.

"Um, can we pretend to act as if we love each other? I just want to show my ex-boyfriend that…that I can be stronger without him," Sakura requested shyly.

'Heh, she's actually cute when she gets all nervous.' Sasuke smirked. "Sure, why not? We're already supposed to act like a couple in public anyways," He shrugged.

"I really appreciate it, so thank you," Sakura gave him a warm smile.

Damn, she was gorgeous when she smiled. Sasuke quickly shook the thoughts away and parked the car. Sasuke gazed at her, observing her face expressions. 'She always seems more calm and mature when it comes to her ex-boyfriend. She must have loved him a lot…' Sasuke thought as he opened the car door and got out.

He walked over to Sakura's side and opened the door for her. She slowly stepped out and glanced over at the school campus, noticing that Ino already spotted her.

"Come on, hurry up," Sasuke reached his hand over to her, which she took without a second thought this time. Sakura closed the car door behind her and they both crossed the street to a stunned-looking Ino, and a group of Sakura's other friends.

"S…Sakura…what the hell is this? Everyone saw you on T.V. yesterday and heard you're getting **_engaged_**?" Ino was staring back and forth from Sasuke and Sakura in disbelief.

"It's complicated to explain, Ino…" Sakura bowed her head apologetically at her.

"Well, then you better start explaining the whole story to all of us. We heard that you just broke up Naruto two days ago, and now all of a sudden, you're already getting married to the son of the president of the Uchiha company? Why the hell didn't you tell us about this before?" Ino crossed her arms and looked at Sakura in the eyes, angrily.

Sasuke was a bit surprised to hear that she only broke up with…Naruto, that was his name right?...only a two days ago. He narrowed his eyes about, piecing the puzzles together. 'Two days ago…that was when I bumped into her…' Sasuke's eyes widened. 'Was she running because of that breakup? She was crying, too, so that must've been it.' He thought as he turned to look at her.

Sakura was about to say something, but a familiar voice called her name.

"Sakura!"

Everyone turned to see Naruto and Hinata coming towards them. Sakura's eyes saddened, seeing them hold hands. "Sakura…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes with hatred at Sasuke, who simply smirked back. 'This must be Naruto, huh…' Sasuke thought.

"Sakura, what the hell is happening? How can you be engaged after I just broke up-,"

"Shut up." Sakura cut him off harshly. Everyone was surprised at the tone of her voice. Sasuke could see just how much pain was reflected in her eyes. "S…Sakura…we're really sorry for cheating behind your back. Please, forgive us. We never intended to hurt you," Hinata replied softly, trying not to anger Sakura anymore.

Ino and the others gasped in surprise (they didn't know that Naruto and Hinata were together, yet). "Hinata…**_you,_** cheated with Naruto on Sakura?" Ino stared at Hinata like she was some kind of stranger.

Hinata hesitantly nodded.

"You were my bestfriend, Hinata." Sakura made a bittersweet smile at Hinata, who looked down in guilt.

Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto and glared at him. "Fine. If you're so damn curious about it, I'll tell you..."

Sakura looked up at Sasuke, who made a small nod of approval at her. Sakura swallowed and gazed across from Ino, to her friends, to Naruto and Hinata. "After Naruto told me about cheating with Hinata...I ran from him. I didn't care where I went, so I just ran and ran until my feet felt heavy. I didn't even see where I was going because I was crying so much. And then..." Sakura slightly squeezed Sasuke's hand. "...I bumped into Sasuke. He scolded me when I rudely told him to help me up and called me a pink-haired brat..." Sakura and Sasuke both couldn't help but smile a bit. "...he acted like he was all mighty and all that. I didn't know who he was at first. I went home, only to find that my parents told me that I was a candidate for being Sasuke's bride. It was seriously the worst day ever...but I thought the chances of me being chosen are limited because of all the other upperclass women there, also. The next day, we arrived late to the company, and I was surprised that Sasuke was the son of the Uchiha president. He approached me and kissed my hand, and said that he chooses me..." Sakura decided to twist the story a bit. She wanted them to think that she and Sasuke were in love. "...I was strangely happy. He made me forget all that happened the day before, and I honestly didn't want to reject the proposal." Sasuke raised an eyebrow in amusement. He didn't know she was making it up so he took it seriously. 'She was happy about marrying me?' He blinked and gave her a slightly confused look. "We hungout that day, and he took me to buy a dress. It was the one I wore while on T.V. During the engagement party, before we went in, he asked me if I was ready to be announce worldwide that I was his wife. I was scared, and nervous, but I agreed. I met some of his wonderful friends and I had a realaly good time with him. I guess, after two days, I can say that I'm completely heads over heels for him..." Sakura finished and was proud of herself for making the story short and simple(and exaggerate).

"How can you fall in love that easily? He doesn't seem all that great. You were just heads over heels for _**me**_," Naruto took a step forward.

Sakura didn't answer him. She didn't feel like talking to him at all.

Sasuke saw her expression and sighed. Everyone watched in amusement as Sasuke let go of her hand and put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He stared directly at Naruto as he kissed Sakura on the head. Sakura blushed and tensed up a bit and Naruto felt jealous, seeing the way she reacted.

"You know, dipshit, that she really loved you?" Sasuke scowled at Naruto. "And you don't deserve to be called her bestfriend." He replied harshly at Hinata.

Ino and the others were speechless at how he stood up for Sakura.

A tense silence filled the air.

Sakura slowly turned her head to look at Sasuke curiously, wondering why he was once again so protective over her. 'Because we have to act like a couple...' She reminded herself.

Sasuke and Sakura jumped in surprise when they felt a pair of hand hit their back. "YO!" Juugo's voice came. "Wow, Sakura, you look great in that outfit," He winked at her. Naruto and Sasuke both glared at Juugo.

"Who the hell are they?" Ino narrowed her eyes.

"Ah...these are Sasuke's friends. They'll be attending here as well. Please, since I already explained the situation, just be nice to them, ok?" Sakura pleaded.

Ino doubted for moment and hesitated, but she slowly nodded.

"Thank you so much! I hope you're not mad at me. And you guys, too," Sakura looked at her friends hopefully. They all looked at each other, but nodded afterwards and smile at her.

"Well, anyway...call me afterschool. I still have some questions, ok?" Ino replied as the bell rang.

Sakura nodded as they all parted to go to class. Sakura looked over to Naruto and Hinata who were also staring back at her while walking away. She quickly avoided their gaze and pulled Sasuke along with her, with Sasuke's friends following behind.

"Hn. That was quite an interesting story of how we met, Sakura," Sasuke smirked at her.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura blinked.

"You said you were heads over heals for me," Sasuke smiled mischieviously.

"Ohoho, already, Sakura? I thought you couldn't stand him just yesterday," Suigetsu chuckled.

"It was just an exaggeration! I told you, we had to make them believe that we're in love. Geez, as if I would really be happy about marrying you," Sakura looked at Sasuke like he was crazy.

"Well, good then. Remember, there is no love in this-,"

"I know, I know." Sakura rolled her eyes. She looked back to see them still following her. "Hold up...are _all_ of you signed up in the same classes as me?" She asked curiously.

"Yep." They replied in unison.

Sakura gaped. 'Wow. My life is officially over...twice.' She thought as she just groaned and walked into her classroom with six guys trailing after her.

* * *

**Ok, next chapter will be up soon! Hate it? Love it? Review :)**


	6. A Complicated Situation

**A Complicated Situation**

_*Ok, so just clear things up, I know I might seem to be making Karin go after Sasuke's weath, and power. But that's not really the case. She DOES love him, but I just made her personality kind of snobby. _

_

* * *

_

Everyone was staring at Sakura, Sasuke and the other five guys. The girls were flipping their hair and fluttering their eyes, trying to look pretty, while the guys just scoffed (mostly in jealousy) at how "cool" Sasuke and his friends were.

"U…um…so anyways, class…we'll be having six new classmates, including, as you all should've heard on the news, Sakura's fiancée. Please welcome them to our school and treat them nicely," The teacher couldn't restrain her own blushing as she glanced at Sasuke and the other guys.

Sakura rolled her eyes in annoyance at how stupid her classmates were.

Sasuke was also annoyed by the looks of everyone and tried to ignore them by pretending to write notes of what the teacher was teaching. He looked over to Sakura, who was also doing the same thing, but he smirked at the irritated look she had on her face. He glanced around the room and noticed several students glancing back once in a while. A smile graced his lips when he thought of something.

Slowly, he slid his hand over to Sakura's desk.

Sakura flinched at the sudden contact of his hand and blushed when he entangled his fingers with hers. "What are you doing?" She whispered and glared at him.

"Shhh…it's just acting, remember?" Sasuke leaned over to whisper in her ear and placed a light kiss on her cheeks.

Juugo and the others tried to hold in their laughs at how everyone in the class was blushing at Sasuke's actions.

Sakura could feel her heart pounding and she was angry by the fact that Sasuke could make her react like this. 'Damn it…why am I feeling nervous around him?' She thought as she tried her best to concentrate on her school work.

Sasuke felt her hand trembling a bit and saw that her cheeks were red. 'Heh, she's blushing?' He raised an eyebrow in amusement. 'How interesting…' Sasuke smirked.

* * *

The next few classes passed by agonizingly slow for Sakura. As the bell rang for dismissal, she sighed in relief and packed up her books.

"Whew…what a long day. Man, public school can be such a pain in the ass," Juugo stretched his arms and yawned.

"It's pretty cool, though. It's more crowded than I thought," Sai grinned.

"Too bad all these subjects are too easy… I mean, we've already learned all this, so it's all review," Neji shrugged.

"Really? No wonder you guys worked so efficiently throughout the day…geez…I don't even get what the teacher is saying sometimes," Sakura sighed.

"We could tutor you if you want," Neji suggested.

"Seriously? I would love that! I'm really struggling in math and history, so pleeeease, help me. I need to raise my grades up," Sakura's eyes sparkled happily.

"Sure thing, Sakura. Anything for you," Suigetsu flashed a charming smile at her.

"Heh, how stupid can you be. All this schoolwork is pretty easy," Sasuke scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Shut up." Sakura glared at him.

Sasuke looked at her and grinned mischievously. "Sooo, anyways…what's up with you, today, hm? In first period when I held your hand, you were blushing like crazy, and your hands were even shaking nervously. Are you falling in love with me already?" He winked.

Sakura could feel her cheeks getting hot. "I would never fall in love with you! Ugh, it's just…I'm not used to holding hands with a guy I don't know that well, so it's weird to me," She replied and walked out of the classroom.

Sasuke let out a laugh and shook his head. "She is really too childish…" He muttered.

"…yes, but she is cute, though," Suigetsu smiled.

"And really interesting," Neji added in.

"Not to mention, she's hot as hell," Juugo licked his lips seductively.

"She's also different…in a good way…" A small smile graced Sai's lips.

"She catches my attention as well," Gaara replied quietly.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows in amusement at them. "Wow…is she that amazing to you guys? You guys just met her yesterday. If you guys like her that much, be my guest and just date her or something. I could really care less," Sasuke rolled his eyes as he also exited the room.

"Ooooh, now that's a good idea, I just might," Juugo joked and let out a laugh.

"Hn. I seriously would give it a try," Neji shrugged.

"Same here," Gaara agreed.

"I think she could make a pretty good girlfriend," Sai nodded.

"Heh, well then, why don't we have a contest and try to see who wins her, hm?" Suigetsu suggested.

They all looked at him in silence. Then in a matter of moments, they all smirked. "Then it's a challenge."

* * *

As soon as Sakura came out the school gates, someone tackled her down. Sakura shrieked as she fell down to the ground.

"Hehe, sorry, Sakura!" Ino grinned.

"Ino! What the hell?" Sakura glared at her and pushed her off.

"Sorry, sorry…anyways, I was just really curious about you and Sasuke." Ino replied as she stood and helped Sakura up.

"Ugh…what about it?" Sakura rolled her eyes and brushed some dirt off her pants.

"It's just so quick how you fell in love with him. I mean…you really loved Naruto-,"

"Can you please…not mention him?" Sakura sighed and closed her eyes sadly.

Ino bit her bottom lip and immediately regretted what she said. "Sorry..." She muttered.

"It's ok…so what did you want to know about me and Sasuke?" Sakura nearly jumped when someone hugged her from behind.

"Hm? Your friend wants to know some details, huh?" Sasuke smirked.

Ino couldn't help but smile at the cute scene. "The chemistry between you two is so cute! But anyways, it's just kind of weird to me how Sakura can fall in love with you so fast," Ino crossed her arms, staring suspiciously at both of them.

Sakura didn't know how to answer. "Uh…w…well…you know, he's really-,"

"Isn't it obvious? I won her over with my charm. And I couldn't help but choose her for my bride because she's so unbelievably cute," Sasuke kissed her head lightly.

Sakura once again cursed herself for blushing at his actions.

"Still, I don't think that's an explanation for how you two fell in love in a matter of 48 hours….two days is a little fast for you two say that you **_love_** each other, don't you think?" Ino urged on.

'Damn, can't she just drop the subject?' Sakura sighed and glanced up at Sasuke, hoping he'll make something up to answer Ino.

"So what do you want? Proof, or something?" Sasuke smirked.

"Exactly." Ino nodded and smirked right back.

"Ino, seriously, we're getting married, so of course we have to love each other." Sakura added in.

"Heh, I've known you for three years, Sakura…do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that **_you_** can fall in love that easily? It took you two full years to realize that you love Naru-,"

"I told you to stop mentioning him…" Sakura muttered.

Sasuke gazed at her sad expression. Sakura was taken by surprise when he turned her around and embraced her tightly. "You're her friend…you should trust her words," Sasuke said to Ino. "We'll take our leave, now," He replied before taking Sakura with him to the car.

Ino raised an eyebrow and she grinned slightly at how stiff Sakura's body was. "Hn. Yea riiiight…she doesn't even seem comfortable in his arms…" She laughed a bit before turning to go.

* * *

Juugo and the others came out just before Sasuke's car drove off. "Hold up, how are we gonna compete for her if she's married-,"

"Well, they said they already made a deal to divorce in a few months. In the time of their marriage, let's try to see who could win her heart…if possible. Who knows, maybe one of will really fall in love with her, too," Suigetsu flashed a smile at them and crossed his arms.

"Aren't we taking this a little too seriously?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Yea, I guess…but it'll be fun. I can guarantee that."

* * *

"Can you please stop doing that?" Sakura glared at Sasuke.

"Doing what?" Sasuke blinked innocently at her.

"Can you stop hugging me and all that cheesy stuff? It creeps me out! And I feel so uncomfortable-,"

"Aren't you the one who said we need to act like a couple in front of your friends?" Sasuke interrupted.

"W…well, yea…but you're overdoing it," Sakura sighed and put her seatbelt on.

"Hn. Whatever you say, brat," Sasuke shrugged.

"Ugh, stop calling me that!" Sakura groaned.

"Then I might as well start calling you babe, or honey, or something cute…like my little cherry blossom or my strawberry cutie-pie or-,"

"Oh my gosh! Will you just call me **_Sakura_**? You're such a jerk," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"If you want me to stop, then quit calling me jerk," Sasuke chuckled.

Sakura was about to say something, but Sasuke's phone rang. Sasuke looked at the caller I.D. and smiled. "Hello? Oh hey, babe…"

Sakura's eyebrows went up curiously. 'That must be Karin…' She thought and glanced over at him.

"…now? But I'm with someone…uh…fine, fine, I'll come….Ok, bye. Love you, too," Sasuke replied before hanging up. "Sorry for dragging you along, but Karin wants to hangout with me," He muttered.

"Hell no. I'm not going…I don't want to sit and watch you two be all lovey-dovey. It's disgusting," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"She has a temper, so if I don't get there fast, she'll be mad at me. Besides, I think it'll be a good idea if you two meet…I just want to clear things up." Sasuke took a quick glance at his watch.

"She has a temper? Wow, and you say that I have anger issues…your girlfriend seems to be worse," Sakura smirked.

"Hn. But she's a hundred times better than you'll ever be," Sasuke simply stated.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but restrained herself. 'Better than me, huh? Every girl seems to be better than me…' She thought as Naruto and Hinata popped in her mind.

Sasuke heard her let out a sigh and he snuck a look at her. "Why is it that everytime you ride in my car, you always have that sad look on your face? Does my car give you unpleasant memories or something?" He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"No…it's nothing. It's my fault…I always think about bad things at the wrong time, so sorry." Sakura shook her head and leaned her head back on the car seat.

"You see that? Everytime you get sad, or you're in deep thought, you always seem so much mature. I actually wouldn't mind getting along with you if you're always like this," Sasuke replied.

Sakura stayed quiet. 'I can't argue with that. Why is it that I'm always more mature whenever I think of Naruto?' She closed her eyes and grasped her school bag tightly.

"…so you still want to go? I feel kind of bad that I'm dragging you along with me. If you really don't want to go, I'll drop you off somewhere-,"

"I'm fine. Besides, I admit I'm kind of curious to see who your girlfriend is. She better not be ugly, or else I'll laugh my ass off…" Sakura teased.

'Great. In a matter of few seconds, she starts to joke and be childish again.' Sasuke frowned.

Sakura sighed and glared at him. "If you want me to always be mature, why didn't you just pick those rich girls? They're well-behaved, mature, obedient, and you wouldn't have to put up with someone as _annoying_ as me."

"Well, that's no fun. They all seem boring to me…but the way you react is much more interesting. It's fun teasing you," Sasuke leaned over slightly and poked her stomach. "Fat." He smirked.

"Stop doing that to me!" Sakura blushed and covered her stomach with her hands.

Sasuke only laughed and suddenly parked his car.

Sakura blinked and looked out the car window to see that they were in front of a beach. 'Whoa…I got too caught up in the conversation that I didn't even see that we were heading towards a beach…' She thought as she got out the car and smiled at the beautiful ocean waves. "It's so pretty…" Sakura whispered as the wind whipped back her hair.

Sasuke walked over to her side and grabbed her hand, dragging her with him.

"Why do we have to hold hands-,"

"We're in public, Sakura. There could be people with cameras that are following us…so everytime we're out in public, we must remain together like a couple, ok?" Sasuke muttered quietly to her.

Sakura sighed but she nodded her head in agreement.

Sasuke felt her fingers intertwine with his and he didn't know why, but he liked the feeling of her hand in his. It almost felt _right_.

'What the hell am I thinking?' Sasuke immediately shook his head. He glanced back to Sakura and laughed at how she was trying to keep her hair in place. The wind was making her hair fly everywhere and he could see how annoyed she was when her hair slapped into her face. Sasuke brought her closer to him and let go of her hand. He put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer until their bodies were touching. Since Sasuke was taller, he blocked the wind and Sakura's hair wasn't flying around a lot anymore. Sakura blushed at how close they were. "What are you doing-,"

"I'm just trying to help you out. You hair was like raping your face, so just stay in this position until we arrive at Karin's house, ok?" Sasuke smiled at her nervous expression.

"W…wait…Karin lives near here?" Sakura blinked in surprise.

"Yep. Her house is pretty big, too," Sasuke nodded.

'Damn, all these rich people…' Sakura rolled her eyes.

After walking for a while, Sakura relaxed a bit and without thinking, she leaned onto Sasuke, and put her arms around his waist, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. Sasuke was taken by surprise at her actions and glanced down at her. Her expression was just calm and relaxed. He raised an eyebrow in amusement and again, a smile crept onto his face. 'I bet we really look like a good couple right now.' He thought to himself as he looked up and saw Karin's house coming into view.

"You know…Karin would be pretty jealous if she saw us in this position," Sasuke stated.

Sakura blushed and immediately let go of him, wondering why she even felt good in his arm.

Sasuke just pulled her back and his grip tightened on her shoulder. "Don't worry, though. I already explained to her how we made a deal about divorcing and that all this is just acting," he replied and smirked at her blushing face.

Sakura looked down at the sand and frowned. 'Why am I getting all nervous around him?' She thought and let out a frustrated sigh.

Sasuke took out his cell phone and dialed Karin's number. "Hey, babe…we're almost there. Yea, I can see your house, so come open the gate for us."

* * *

Sakura nearly gaped at how huge the house was. 'Oh my gosh…if her house is this big, then Sasuke's house must be even bigger.'

Sasuke and Sakura walked up the door steps and Sasuke knocked on the door. After a few moments of waiting, the door opened to reveal a girl about Sakura's age, with beautiful red hair. Karin immediately smiled at the sight of Sasuke, but frowned once she saw how he was holding Sakura. "Get your hands off her shoulder right now." Karin demanded.

Sasuke obediently let go and Sakura was taken by surprise when Sasuke stepped toward Karin and gave her a gentle kiss.

Sakura blushed at the sight and forced herself to turn away.

Karin pushed Sasuke away slowly and her eyes averted to Sakura. "So? Who's this?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Ah…this is Sakura…she's the girl who I'm gonna marry," Sasuke explained as he grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her along inside the house.

Karin closed the door and turned around to observe Sakura. Sakura stood uncomfortably as Karin looked at her, up and down. "Hn. You're actually not that bad. Nice to meet you, I'm Karin…Sasuke's girlfriend-,"

"Fiancée." Sasuke corrected.

"Oh, right," Karin rose up her hand and look at the diamond ring on her finger.

'Ah, so he already proposed to her.' Sakura thought as she glanced around the house. It was so spacious and there seemed to be two rows of stairs. 'Damn…so it's a three-story house. It's my first time seeing one…it's huge…' She thought as she looked around, hypnotized by the flawless furniture, the pictures hanging on the wall, and it looked just like a model home. It seemed too neat for someone to be living in it.

"First time you've seen a house like this?" Karin smirked.

"Ah…y…yea…" Sakura blushed at how stupid she must've looked while glancing around.

Sasuke smiled at her cute, nervous expression.

"So you and Sasuke made a deal that you're going to divorce in about 4 months, right?" Karin crossed her arms.

"Of course. If I stay with him any longer than that, I'd probably be annoyed to death," Sakura rolled her eyes.

Karin's eyebrows went up in amusement at how quickly Sakura's personality change. "Heh, you seem to dislike him a lot, don't you?" She laughed.

"Ugh, more than you can imagine…" Sakura nodded and crossed her arms.

"See, didn't I tell you that she's a childish, pink-haired brat?" Sasuke smirked. Sakura glared at him as he walked over to Karin and put a hand around her waist.

"Well, help yourself to anything around the house." Karin offered as she dragged Sasuke away with her.

Sakura just stood there, watching as they disappeared upstairs. "Yuck. They're probably going to go make out…" Sakura frowned in disgust as she looked around the house. 'I wonder how their kitchen looks like. Karin said I can help myself to _anything_, so…I hope they have some good food."

* * *

Karin closed the bedroom door as she turned around to face Sasuke. "Ugh, you could've chosen someone of a higher class than she. Is she seriously from a wealthy family?" Karin scoffed as she plopped down on her bed.

"Yea, she is. It doesn't seem like it though, right? I just chose her because she's more fun than the other girls.." Sasuke replied as he lay down next to her.

"Hm? She's more fun? Are you actually taking an interest in her?" Karin glared at him.

"Of course not. Why would I be interested in anyone other than you?" Sasuke smiled lovingly at her and leaned in to kiss her.

Karin put a finger to his lips to stop him. "Hn. You better not be lying..." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why would I be lying? You know I love you." Sasuke shrugged.

Karin grinned and pulled him in for a quick kiss. "And I love you, too," She whispered.

"I can't wait until we get married..." Sasuke pulled her into his arms and snuggled into her hair.

Karin relaxed against his chest and closed her eyes. "Me too."

* * *

**BLAH. I'lll try to speed things up so you guys could read the part where Sasuke and Sakura gets married. Anyways, REVIEW and tell me if you liked it, hate it, or whatever. The next chapter wil be coming up shortly!**


	7. My Husband, My Wife

**My Husband, My Wife**

_*SO! I sped things up :) Lol, this chapter will be about Sasuke & Sakura's wedding. So ENJOY._

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* * *

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Three days had passed since Sakura went to Karin's house. Her parents insisted that she stayed home from school to move her things over to the Uchiha mansion so she won't have to do it later.

Sakura wiped away the sweat on her forehead as she dragged her dresser up into the moving truck. 'Ugh, geez. Why do I have to move my stuff over to their house already? Couldn't it wait after the wedding? The wedding is going to be tomorrow anyways.' She thought as she stared up at the blazing sun. Sakura nearly jumped when a car honked at her.

She peered behind the truck to see Sasuke's car parking in front of her garage. "Yo," Sasuke greeted as he came out of the car.

"Why are you here?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, since you're moving into our home, I figured that I would just come and help out a bit. Are you almost done?" Sasuke asked as he took off his sunglasses.

"Yea…I just need my daily things that I use and I need to move my bed-,"

"Oh, no need to bring your own bed," Sasuke interrupted.

"Why not?" Sakura blinked.

"Well, we are gonna be married, so we're gonna have to sleep in the same bed, you know…" Sasuke stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sakura blushed at the thought and she immediately shook her head. "No way! I'd rather sleep in the streets than to sleep with you in the same bed," She glared at him and walked over to her house.

"Stop making such a big deal about it. Are your parents home, anyways?" Sasuke took off his shoes and entered her house.

"No. They're working right now…they'll be home in a couple of hours." Sakura replied as she walked over to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. "I'm still bringing my own bed." She muttered.

"Sakura, we need to make this marriage look real, ok? Whether you like it or not, we have to share the same bed. It'll only be for a few months, so deal with it," Sasuke let out a sigh.

"But…but I feel uncomfortable sleeping next to a guy…" Sakura pouted.

"Hn. Why?" Sasuke slowly walked over to her. "Are you afraid that I might do something to you?" He smirked and leaned in so that their faces were inches apart.

Sakura could feel her heart racing faster and her cheeks were getting hot.

Sasuke chuckled at her speechless expression and flicked her forehead. "Just kidding. I won't try anything, I swear. I'm not that kind of guy…besides, there's nothing appealing about you that would make me desire you anyways," Sasuke shrugged.

"You're such a jerk!" Sakura frowned and emptied her cup of water, setting it nicely in the sink. "If you're just going to come over and insult me, then leave. I need to finish packing up, and then I have to prepare for the wedding tomorrow."

Just as she was about to walk away, Sasuke pulled her back. Sakura shrieked when she felt his arms embrace her from behind. "What are you doing!" Sakura exclaimed as she tried to struggle away from him.

"Relax, Sakura…" Sasuke murmured quietly into her ear. "...just let me remind you...you can't fall in love with me, ok?" He smirked.

"Why in the name of hell would I fall in love with **_you_**?" Sakura pried at his arms, trying to get them off.

"Well, judging by the fact that you always blush whenever I do cheesy things, or avert your eyes shyly, and having those nervous face expressions, I'm guessing that you just might have a few feelings for me," Sasuke grinned.

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course I'd get nervous whenever you do all those cheesy things to me…I know we're supposed to act like a couple, but when you overdo it, I just don't know how to react. Will you just please let go of me, now?" Sakura sighed in frustration.

Sasuke obeyed and released his hold of her. "Why are you so worked up for? I've hugged you plenty of times in public and in front of your friends," Sasuke raised an eyebrow and put his hands in his pockets.

"Because this time, we're alone, and there's no reason to hug me. So it's weird," Sakura muttered and ran upstairs before he could respond.

* * *

Sakura closed her bedroom door and took a deep breath. "What the hell. Why did he just hug me like that?" She brought a hand to her chest and could still feel her heart beating rapidly.

Sakura jumped when someone knocked on her door. "Ugh, what?" She turned around and opened the door for Sasuke.

"Geez, calm down, will you? Do you need help with anything else?" Sasuke rolled his eyes at her.

Sakura sighed and calmed herself down. She looked around at her almost empty bedroom. Her eyes averted to her bed. "So…I really can't bring my bed, then?" She asked quietly.

Sasuke shook his head.

Sakura let out another sigh. "Fine, then. I'm done packing…when my parents come home, we'll drive over my things to your house." Sakura replied.

"Ok. Ah, do you want to go out and get something to eat? I just came over without eating breakfast, so I'm kind of hungry," Sasuke patted his stomach and grinned.

Sakura thought for a while, then nodded. "Yea, sure. I haven't eaten either…"

* * *

Sakura blinked at how fancy the restaurant was. "You could've told me to dress better! I'm just in a jean and a casual blouse-,"

"You look fine. Seriously, you're making a big deal out of everything today." Sasuke interrupted.

"Well of course you don t feel out of place. Look at how nice your dress-shirt is, and how your slacks make you look so professional. Geez, I could've picked out a decent outfit at least," Sakura huffed and picked up the menu.

Sasuke stared at her and chuckled at how confused she looked once she began reading what kinds of foods they have.

"What the hell…all these foods are in French language…" Sakura blinked.

"I guess I'll just order for you. Man…you really don't know anything about the upper-class world, do you?" Sasuke smirked.

"Of course I don't. I've lived a normal life until now…ugh, anyways, you better not get me anything like liver, or fish eggs. I've heard that rich people eat those, and it sounds disgusting," Sakura cringed.

"Don't worry, I don't eat those either," Sasuke chuckled again. A waiter came by and bowed politely at them. "Que voudriez-vous ? (What would you like?)". Sasuke read through the menu briefly. "Je vais prendre... Boeuf Bourguigon (I would like to have Beef stew in red wine)".

Sakura just stared blankly at Sasuke. She was amazed at how fluent he could speak French. Sakura sat there quietly, listening to Sasuke and the waiter speaking to each other. She was taken by surprise when Sasuke pointed to her, nodded, and laughed. 'What the hell…is he making fun of me in French?' She glanced at the waiter, who looked at her and smiled, bowing politely, before he left the table. "What did you talk about? Why were you pointing at me?" Sakura glared at Sasuke.

"Hm? Why so curious?" Sasuke shrugged.

"Because! You might've told that guy that I was a stupid pink-haired brat! You always say that about me," Sakura pouted.

"Nah, I didn't tell him that…"

"Well then, what did you say to him?" Sakura crossed her arms, defiantly.

"He asked me if you were my girlfriend…I said no, she's my fiancée. And then he said you were really beautiful…"

Sakura blushed.

"…and I said, I know…that's why I chose her." Sasuke smiled.

Sakura blushed even more, but she didn't dare to believe him. "You're lying. You're just saying that so-,"

"Well then, what was I supposed to say? We're in public, so we need to act like a couple, right?" Sasuke leaned in and whispered to her.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but she knew he was right, and stayed quiet.

Sasuke leaned back to his chair and gazed at her. 'Beautiful, huh?' His eyes traveled from her pink hair that framed her face perfectly, her emerald eyes that sparkled when she's happy, her perfectly round and plump lips, her light-toned skin, and her body curves that reflected her feminine figure.

Sakura stared at her nails, which were tapping the glass table, so she didn't notice him staring at her.

Sasuke made a small smile when she bit her bottom lip cutely.

Sakura's head jerked up to look at him when she heard him laugh. "What?" She blinked.

"Oh, nothing…I was just thinking," Sasuke shrugged.

"About what? You were laughing at me, weren't you?" Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

"So what if I was?" Sasuke shrugged again.

Sakura frowned and just looked away again, not bothering to argue with him.

Sasuke's laughter died down when he realized she ignored him. "I just thought for a moment that you were cute," he muttered after a while.

Sakura's eyebrows went up in surprise. She glanced over at him and blushed when their eyes met. Sakura quickly averted her eyes and cleared her throat. "So, um…are you already prepared for the wedding tomorrow?" She asked, trying to get rid of the awkward silence.

"Yea. I have my outfit, and I'm guessing our parents already planned the decorations and guests. Did you get your wedding dress, yet?" Sasuke kept his eyes locked on her face, making her unable to directly look at him.

"Yea…I got it yesterday. I'm not sure if you'll like it though, since you rejected all the ones I tried on, on the engagement day…" Sakura muttered.

"Heh, you did a pretty good job on picking the dress that day, though, so I'm curious to see what your wedding dress will look like," Sasuke smirked.

Sakura didn't respond and hesitated to ask. "Um…when you said I looked beautiful that day…I didn't believe you, but…did you really mean it?" She asked shyly.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in amusement. A small smile appeared on his face as he stared at her expression. "I meant it." He simply stated.

Sakura slowly raised her head and dared to look at him. Normally, he'd tease her and probably tell her that he really thought she looked ugly in that dress, but Sakura was surprised that he actually seemed truthful. He was strangely nicer today. Sakura just kept her eyes locked on his, not daring to speak or make a move.

Luckliy, the waiter came back and set down two plates of food. Sakura mentally sighed in relief as she grabbed her fork and started eating, pretending to be distracted by the food...but she could still feel Sasuke's eyes on her. Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tried to ignore the feeling of being watched by him.

Sasuke smirked. 'Wow. I never knew she could be so easily intimidated with me just looking at her. It's cute how she gets nervous so quickly..."He thought as he finally looked down at his food and started eating.

Sakura let out a deep breath, glad that he finally stopped looking at her. 'Geez...seriously, what's up with him today?"

* * *

After Sasuke drove her back home, he insisted to stay until her parents came back home.

"Ugh, why? Don't you have better things to do than bother me?" Sakura protested as she plopped down on the couch.

"Nah. I don't have any plans today, so I might as well spend it with my beloved fiancée," Sasuke sat down next to her and pinched her cheek playfully.

Sakura slapped his hand away and scooted further from him. "Why don't you go hangout with your _real_ fiancée? I'm pretty sure Karin wouldn't like you to be around me all the time," she replied as she got the remote and turned on the TV.

"Hm…maybe I will…but for now, I'll stay with you. You should be thankful that I'm not leaving you all alone. You'll be pretty bored just sitting here and watching TV alone," Sasuke stretched out his arms and yawned softly.

Sakura didn't bother to respond. She frowned as she clicked through the channels, frustrated that there was nothing interesting to watch.

"Hey…" Sasuke mumbled.

"What?" Sakura answered in a bored tone.

"…now that I think about it…aren't you kind of behind on school work? You've been absent for the past 3 days, and with the wedding going, you'll be too busy to catch up on the assignments," Sasuke stated.

"Ah! I totally forgot!" Sakura exclaimed. "Please, please, please, help me catch up! My grades are already dropping and with my absence for three days, it'll only get worse," She pleaded and clamped her hands together, begging him.

"You want to do all of the schoolwork _tonight_?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Sakura nodded.

"I don't think it'll be such a good idea to study tonight. Tomorrow's the wedding, so you need plenty of rest. You're going to be stuck wearing your wedding dress for a few hours, so you'll be exhausted. I'll call Juugo and the others over after the marriage is taken care of,"Sasuke replied as he stole the remote from her and started to turn the channel.

"Why do they have to come?" Sakura blinked.

"Heh, why? You wanna be alone with me?" Sasuke smirked.

"Stop that!" Sakura blushed and threw a pillow at him.

Sasuke laughed at her and easily caught the pillow. "Hey, you got any movies we could watch?" He randomly stated.

Sakura rolled her eyes at how he changed the subject so quickly. "Yea…the movies are stacked under the TV stand, so just go take a look and see what you wanna watch."

Sasuke got up and went to check the movies. "Oh, and you got any popcorn?" He grinned at her.

Sakura nodded as she got up and walked over to the kitchen. Sasuke's eyes followed her as she opened the cabinet and grabbed a bag of popcorn, putting it in the microwave. 'Wow…it really seems like we're married right now.' Sasuke made a small smile and turned his attention back to finding a movie.

Sakura put her hands on her hips, staring at the popcorn. She slowly glanced over at Sasuke. 'I'm cooking for him, and we're going to watch a movie. It really seems like we're a newly married couple…' Sakura wondered for a moment if she'll be a good housewife someday. 'Well…I know how to cook, clean, and I'll surely love my husband, so…I think I'll turn out to be a good wife…' Sakura narrowed her eyes. It would be slightly different if she was going to marry Sasuke. They were rich, so she wouldn't probably have to do all the chores and cooking. 'Well, that's one good outcome of marrying that jerk.' Sakura smirked and jumped slightly when the microwave made a beeping noise. She opened it and took out the popcorn bag, opened it, and poured it into a big bowl. "Did you pick out a movie yet?" Sakura asked as she walked back over to the couch.

"Yep." Sasuke put the disk in and sat back down on the couch.

Sakura sat down and handed him the bowl of popcorn.

"Won't you scoot a little closer?" Sasuke winked and patted the empty spot next to him.

"I'm fine where I am," Sakura glared at him.

Sasuke smirked as he scooted closer to her, instead.

"What are you-,"

"Oh please, get used to it. We're going to have to do a lot of physical contact in public, anyway," Sasuke interrupted.

Sakura stayed quiet and shifted uncomfortably.

Sasuke chuckled, feeling her stir defiantly next to him. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, locking her in place.

"Let go," Sakura hissed and tried to shrug his hand off her shoulder.

"Sakura." Sasuke called her name sternly. "Relax, will you?" He sighed as he ate some popcorn.

Sakura eventually stopped struggling, but stuffed a pillow in between them. Sasuke ignored it. After an hour or so into the movie, Sakura glanced at the clock. 'It's already 4 o'clock…mom and dad should be home in a bit…' She thought.

She turned to look at Sasuke, who was intently watching the screen. She closely observed his facial features and was quickly mesmerized. Sakura blinked her eyes curiously…she never knew he was so handsome up close. His skin was flawless, and Sakura swore he had longer eyelashes than she did. She resisted the urge to touch his perfect jaw line and nicely framed cheek bones. Sakura instantly looked away from him, shaking away the thoughts from her mind.

Sasuke snapped his attention away from the movie when he heard her sigh. He glanced at her and noticed she was looking down at her lap with a troubled expression. "You ok?" He asked quietly.

Sakura's head shot up in surprise. "What?"

"Are you ok?" Sasuke repeated.

"Ah, yea…I'm fine," Sakura nodded. 'Shit…I hope he didn't notice me staring at him…' She thought and blushed faintly. She slowly looked back over to him, only to find him still staring at her, too.

And for the second time that day, their eyes met and they both froze in place, unable to make the first move or look away.

Sasuke stayed mesmerized by Sakura's emerald eyes, and Sakura stood hypnotized by his mysterious black orbs. Sasuke raised his arm, urging to cup her face and pull her face closer to his own, but he resisted it.

Sakura swallowed the air in her throat. She could feel her hands sweating and her fingers were trembling. She was the first one to blink, and forced herself to tear away her gaze from his eyes.

Sasuke also broke away from the trance and felt himself blushing. 'What the heck was that? Why did I…why was I just staring at her like that?' He shot a quick glance over to her and realized she was blushing, too.

'Ah, shit…this is so awkward, now…' Sakura thought as she fiddled with her fingers nervously.

Sasuke opened his mouth, and was about to say something, but the door bell suddenly rang.

Sakura sighed in relief and got up from the couch. "U...um…I'll get that…" She stuttered and ran over to the door.

Sasuke also stood up, placing the bowl of popcorn on the couch.

Sakura opened the door and smiled, seeing her parents. "Hey honey." Rika greeted as she took off her shoes. "Did you pack all your things already?" Yamato asked, setting his suitcase down on the floor and loosened this tie.

"Yea, I'm all set," Sakura nodded.

Sasuke walked over to them. Sakura stared back at him and blushed when he stood next to her, putting an arm around her waist. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Haruno," Sasuke greeted.

Sakura's parents both looked up in surprise. "Sasuke? Oh my, what are you doing here?" Rika blinked.

"Ah, I just came over to help Sakura move some things this morning," Sasuke explained.

"And you stayed this long?" Yamato raised an eyebrow and glanced at his watch.

"Oh, that's because I took Sakura out to lunch afterwards. We came back, and I wanted to stay with her until you guys came home, so we decided to watch a movie…" Sasuke replied.

"I see. Well, are you two hungry? I bet it's been a few hours after you'd have lunch. Sasuke, why don't you stay for dinner?" Rika insisted.

"I'd love to, but I-,"

"Oh no, we'll have none of that excuse. Since you stayed with Sakura for the whole day, the least we can do is offer a decent meal for you," Yamato replied as he and Rika walked over to the kitchen.

Sasuke and Sakura both sighed hopelessly. "Well…I guess I better stay for dinner, then." Sasuke muttered as he pulled along Sakura. "Can you let go of me, now?" Sakura whispered. Sasuke let his arm linger around her waist for just a few more moments before letting go.

"Anything specific you want to eat tonight? We're sorry we don't have the top quality food that your family usually eats, so please pardon us," Rika apologized as she took out some vegetables.

"It's fine. Whatever you cook, I'm sure it'll be delicious, Mrs. Haruno," Sasuke smiled charmingly at her.

Sakura rolled her eyes when she saw her mom blush.

"Oh! Speaking of delicious…I think we should let Sakura cook, instead, hm?" Yamato suggested.

"What? Why?" Sakura gaped.

"That's a good idea. Honey…why don't you cook dinner for us, ok? You two are going to get married tomorrow and Sasuke should at least know your cooking skills," Rika agreed.

"But-,"

"Sakura." Yamato stared at her sternly.

Sakura frowned and glanced at Sasuke, hoping he would help her out of the situation, but he just grinned at her. "I'd like to see if you can cook a decent meal…" Sasuke muttered.

Sakura's eye twitched in annoyance as she let out a sigh and walked over to the kitchen.

* * *

Sasuke sat at the table, staring at the food. 'Food made by Sakura…I wonder if it's even edible.' He thought and glanced at Sakura, who was sitting right next to him.

"Sasuke, why don't you go ahead and take a bite first? I'm not sure if Sakura's cooking is up to your taste, but she's actually really good at it…" Rika replied, handing Sasuke a chopstick.

Sakura bit her lip nervously. Was he going to like it? If he didn't, Sakura was sure that he'd make fun of her later.

Sasuke took the chopsticks from Rika and took a pieace of meat, staring at it for a while before putting it in his mouth. Sakura watched as he chewed with a thoughtful expression. "Is it good...?" She asked quietly. She immediately lost her hopes when Sasuke narrowed his eyes, as if he ate something burnt.

Sakura blinked curiously when Sasuke turned to look at her. She was taken by surprise when he smiled. "It's delicious."

Yamato and Rika grinned proudly at Sakura. "Really?" Sakura gaped. Sasuke nodded as he continued to eat. 'Whew...I can't believe he actually liked it.' Sakura thought happily as she picked up her chopsticks and started eating, too.

* * *

Afterwards, Sasuke bid them goodbye and left. Sakura sighed in exhaustion as she went up to her bedroom and laid down on the bed.

"I'm getting married tomorrow..." She muttered to herself. It was kind of unbelievable. The day came faster than she expected.

* * *

Sakura was awaken by her mom's constant ranting.

"Sakura, hurry up. The wedding's in an hour. Here...put on your wedding dress." Rika came in with Sakura's wedding dress. Sakura just got done brushing her teeth and she was currently making soft curls into her hair.

"You look so beautiful, honey," Rika smiled at her. "Thanks, mom..." Sakura flashed a quick smile back at her.

"Wow, I can't believe you're getting married...and to such a handsome boy. Sasuke really is the ideal husband I had in mind for you. You two look absolutely perfect together," Rika sighed dreamily as she put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "So...have you taken a liking to him, yet?"

"What?" Sakura blinked.

"Well, I know you really didn't want to marry him at first, but seeing you two together so often, you must be liking him, now, right?" Rika winked.

"Uh...yea..." Sakura replied hesitantly, although she knew she just had to lie about it.

"I'm so happy for you. I hope Sasuke will take care of you. He better cherish you well, or else I might regret letting you marry him," Rika chuckled and kissed Sakura lightly on the head.

Sakura felt kind of guilty, staring at her mom's happy face. 'She's so happy for me...and I"m pretty sure dad is to...I wonder how they're going to react when me and Sasuke divorce in 4 months. I really don't want to make them unhappy...' She sighed and stared at herself in the mirror. 'I hope this whole fake marriage thing will go smoothly...'

"Well, me and your dad will be in the car, ok? Come when you're ready. We'll be driving over to one of the mansions that the Uchiha company owns...it is absolutely beautiful. Oh, and be sure to smile the whole time, because you're going to be on TV all over Japan," Rika replied before exiting the room.

"Oh wow, great. There really is no privacy at all if I'm going to get married to Sasuke."

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened at the beautiful mansion. It was made entirely out of glass and she could see the inside crowded with people already. There were exquisite chandeliers, gorgeous paintings and pictures hung on the wall, and she noticed the media was already here to record the marriage. There was also a big water fountain right in front of the mansion, surrounded with flowers.

When Sakura got out, her parents quickly ushered her to a room at the back of the building so no one would see her. Sakura sighed as she sat down in front of the vanity mirror and fixed her hair a bit. "There are so many people already...I'm so nervous..." She frowned and looked down at her wedding dress. "I hope I look ok...I don't want to embarrass the image of the Uchihas..." Sakura muttered.

Naruto and her other friends popped into her mind. "Oh gosh...I wonder what they'll say to me when I get back to school..." Sakura's expression saddened as she though about Naruto. "Will he even be jealous, if he sees me marrying Sasuke on TV right now?"

She knew that he loved her, but she also knew that he loved Hinata more.

Sakura once again looked at herself in the mirror, wondering how Naruto fell in love with Hinata in only one day. "I dated him for one year…but...it only took one day for Hinata to have him..." Sakura felt her tears coming, so she quickly shook the thoughts away. "I have to move on. It's already too late for me. They betrayed me, so I shouldn't even think about them anymore."

Sakura was taken by surprise when someone opened her door.

"Sakura?" Yamato peeked in.

"Yes, dad?" Sakura blinked and stood up.

"Oh…come on. It's starting," Yamato smiled at her and reached out his arm.

"…already…?" Sakura linked her arm in his and took a deep breath.

"You ok, honey?" Yamato patted her hand gently.

"Yea…just a bit nervous…" Sakura muttered.

"You'll do fine. You look beautiful…and I'm very proud of you," Sakura's dad planted a kiss on her head and walked out with her.

* * *

Sakura knew the lights and camera would begin clicking once she got out of the room.

Sakura's grip tightened on her father's arm, but she held up her head up high. She saw Sasuke, wearing a nice tuxedo, straight away from her. She admitted that he looked quite handsome. Her eyes scanned the room and she knew almost no one.

Sasuke looked at her, up and down, as she continued to walk, arm-in-arm, with her dad towards him. He smiled a bit, noticing how she was walking proudly, like she was really an upper-class, powerful woman. He examined her dress and thought she did a good job at choosing it. She looked absolutely gorgeous, almost as if she was a goddess.

Sakura reached where Sasuke was, and her dad slowly let go of her arm. "You'll do ok…love you…" Yamato whispered before walking away to stand by Sakura's mom.

Sakura stepped forward so she was side to side with Sasuke, in front of the man who was going to marry them. He exchanged a few greetings, introduced the marriage ceremony, and Sasuke and Sakura exchanged their marriage vows.

"Do you, Sasuke Uchiha, take Sakura Haruno to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and cherish, until death do you apart?"

"I do." Sasuke answered firmly.

"And do you, Sakura Haruno, take Sasuke to be your lawfully wedded husband, to support and encourage, to love unconditionally, until death do you apart?"

Sakura felt like a lump of air was stuck in her throat. She had to say it. She had to vow in front of everyone that she will be Sasuke's wife. Her mind went completely blank, as the words came out without thinking: "I do".

Sasuke grabbed both her hand and turned her so they were facing each other.

Sakura knew what was going to happen next, and her heart was pounding uncontrollably fast.

And so, those horrible words came. "You may now kiss the bride."

Sakura's lips trembled slightly as Sasuke leaned forward. She fluttered her eyes closed, when their foreheads touched.

To her surprise, Sasuke cupped her face, hiding her lips away from the audience. Instead of kissing her on the mouth, he just made a small peck right above her lips.

"And now I officially announce…Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha."

Sakura's eyes opened as she heard the immediate cheers and claps, as well as the clicking cameras. Her eyes stared curiously at Sasuke, wondering why he didn't kiss her. He just smirked at her and turned to the audience, smiling and nodding. Sakura did the same thing, but the thought still lingered in her mind. She stared at the people clapping, the cameras recording, her parents, Sasuke's parents, and she even spotted Sasuke's friends in the crowd…and then it hit her.

It felt so strange, and unbelievable. She was now legally, Sasuke's wife.

She was now Sakura Uchiha.

* * *

**I'm sorry I rushed through the wedding...I didn't want to write the whole marriage vow thingy, so I just shortened it up. But anyways, things will be alot more complicated now, including the relationship between Sasuke, Sakura, Karin, Naruto, and Hinata. So review, and tell me what you liked or disliked. **

**And any ideas for the next chapter? :)  
**


	8. Compete For her Heart

**Compete For Her Heart**

_*Hey guise :3 So, here's the next chapter. ENJOY and REVIEW._

* * *

Sakura glanced at the time and realized it was already nine o'clock. 'Oh come on…how much longer is this marriage ceremony going to last?'She sighed as she took a glass of champagne from the food table and proceeded to drink it, but was taken by surprise when someone stopped her.

"You're still seventeen. You got to wait one more year if you're going to drink alcohol," Neji's voice came. He took the cup from her and took a sip from it.

"Ah, but…it's my wedding, so-,"

"No excuses. As Sasuke's friend, I must look out for you…Juugo and the others will, too." Neji bowed slightly at her.

Sakura pouted a little, but remained silent. Speaking of Sasuke, she hasn't seen him since the wedding vows…she was too busy talking to other people (whom she barely knew), and she was pretty sure that Sasuke was discussing with other people, too. Her eyes glanced around the spacious room, trying to find him in the crowd.

"Are you looking for Sasuke?" Neji asked.

"Yea…I haven't seen him for a while…" Sakura nodded as she continued to observe the crowd.

"Hn. Don't be so eager to find him…you'll have all night with him," Neji smirked.

Sakura blushed at the statement. 'Oh shit…I forgot…the wedding night. Well…we aren't really married, so of course we won't do it.' Sakura thought. "Ah…I really didn't mean it like that, Neji san-,"

"Just call me Neji. Formalities aren't necessary." Neji interrupted.

"Oh…I'm sorry…" Sakura bowed apologetically.

Neji smirked at her innocence. He reached out a hand to her. Sakura just blinked curiously at him. "Come on…I'll take you to him," Neji stated.

Sakura didn't know what to say, so she hesitantly linked her arm in his as he dragged her along with him. "Um…where are the others?" Sakura asked quietly.

"They're around here…probably talking to other people, or hitting up on girls," Neji shrugged.

"Oh." Sakura muttered. She was guided upstairs, where there were even more crowded people. 'Wow, how are we supposed to find him?' She thought as her eyes glanced around.

"There he is," Neji stated and pointed towards a group of old men.

Sakura doubted for a moment, but she spotted him amongst them. "He looks busy, though. Are they business men or something?"

"Yea, most likely. Since Sasuke is the son of the president of the company, he has a lot of responsibility to hold because he's the next in line to be in charge." Neji explained.

Sakura's eyebrows went up in amusement. She never thought about that. "Isn't that a lot of stress on him?" She blinked.

"Of course. But Sasuke can do it. He's very intellectual for someone his age, and he has great leadership skills," Neji replied as he led her towards them.

"Ah, I don't think I should go-,"

"It's fine. Besides, you're his wife now…you should stay by his side all the time. I'll take my leave now, Sakura." He leaned down and placed a small kiss on her hand, causing her to blush.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but he walked away and disappeared into the crowd. She took a deep breath and turned around, walking over to Sasuke. When she reached him, she just stood quietly behind him, afraid to interrupt the conversation.

She saw one of the old men glance at her and smile. "Why, your wife is even more beautiful up close," He stated.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, confused. Then he turned around slightly to find Sakura standing there.

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't want to interrupt you, so I just stood here." She apologized and bowed to the older men.

"Ah, such good manners. Young master, you've chosen such a well behaved young lady," The men all nodded and smiled proudly at Sasuke.

"Of course. I only choose the best one," Sasuke took Sakura's hand and pulled her closer to him. Sakura felt his arm slide over to hold her waist and blushed at how close they were. She was taken by surprise when a camera clicked and flash of light beamed at them.

'Ugh…here we go again. Why do they always take pictures when we're together?' She sighed and smiled at the cameras.

* * *

Finally, it was ending. People bid goodbye to Sasuke and Sakura as they got into their limo.

Sakura was extremely excited to be riding in one. She realized that Sasuke's parents and her parents were with the crowd of people, waving goodbye to them.

"Why aren't they coming with us?" She asked as Sasuke got in the limo and closed the door. "Well, we're going to another mansion…a more private one. We're staying there for 3 days. It's like a mini-honeymoon." He replied as he loosened his tie.

"What? By ourselves? But what are we supposed to do there?" Sakura gaped.

"Don't worry. There's a horse ranch there, so we can go horse-back riding…and there's also a pool, as well as a big garden. The house is newly built just for us, so it's also really beautiful."

"Is it far?"

"Not really…it's just a bit isolated, that's all." Sasuke shrugged.

"Oh…but what about my school work?" Sakura looked at him frantically.

"Stop worrying about that. I'll call Juugo and the others over tomorrow so we could help you," Sasuke stated.

Sakura nodded and looked down at her dress. "Um…Sasuke…" She called softly.

Sasuke turned to look at her. He didn't know why, but he loved it when she called his name.

"Did I do ok on picking my dress?" Sakura asked shyly.

Sasuke let out a small laugh. She's so cute when she acts nervous. "Yea, you did fine. You look pretty," He replied.

"Oh, good…I wasn't sure if you'd like it." Sakura sighed in relief.

"You're trying to impress me, huh? I don't think it works to deny your feelings for me, anymore," Sasuke smirked.

"What **_feelings_**? I was just asking because I thought I'd look bad on TV, too. And plus, I didn't want to embarrass the image of your company...it wouldn't make your father proud. Geez, you jump to conclusions too much," Sakura glared at him.

Sasuke stayed quiet, and just stared at her. "You did well today." He suddenly stated.

Sakura looked at him with a confused expression.

"I mean, the way you walked so elegantly, the way you continuously smiled at the cameras, and how you respected the elderly was impressive. I was kinda afraid you would be cussing the hell out of everyone," Sasuke chuckled.

"The hell? Why would I be cussing in front of so many people? You jerk," Sakura rolled her eyes at him.

"Hn. Well, overall…I'm pretty satisfied with it," Sasuke shrugged and turned to look out the window.

Sakura's lips felt a bit dry, so she licked it…then she remembered. "…and Sasuke…um…when we were doing the wedding vows…I was just wondering, why didn't you kiss me?" She asked quietly.

"I already know you didn't want to. I'd be taking advantage of you if I kissed you like that. Besides, you seemed so scared…when I was holding your hand, they were so trembling. I didn't want to force you," Sasuke explained.

"Oh…." Sakura brought her hand up and touched the part above her lips where Sasuke kissed. "If you knew I was scared, then why did you kiss me on the side of my lips?"

"Well, there were a lot of people there. I had to kiss you, somehow," Sasuke shrugged.

Sakura looked down at her lap and stayed quiet. An awkward silence fell over them.

Sakura still felt weird. It was so strange to Sasuke's wife now.

Her head jerked up when the car came to a sudden stop. "We're here." Sasuke stated as he got out. Sakura peeked out the window to see the mansion, lit up with fancy lampposts. "Wow…" She whispered.

Sasuke went over to her side and opened the door for her. Sakura stepped out, not taking her eyes off the house. "It's really pretty," She muttered.

"I know," Sasuke smirked as he walked towards the mansion, reaching in his pocket to get the key.

Sakura took off her high-heels and followed after him. She glanced back at the limousine, noticing that the driver already left. "How are we supposed to go anywhere for three days without that limo-,"

"We're not going to go anywhere. We're staying in this area for three whole days," Sasuke interrupted as he opened the door.

"But…" Sakura's voice trailed off as her eyes widened at the inside of the mansion. "Oh, wow…" She breathed out in amazement. (Ok…I don't feel like describing everything, so just imagine how it looks…) "We have this whole place to ourselves?" She blinked at Sasuke.

"Yep," Sasuke nodded as he took off his shoes.

"Um, how are we going to change out of our outfits?" Sakura looked down at her dress.

"Oh, some of my fashion-workers already have some clothes prepared for us. Wanna take a look at our room?" Sasuke began walking upstairs before she even replied.

Sakura groaned at the statement, "our" room. 'Ugh…I seriously don't wanna sleep in the same bed as him…'

* * *

Sakura was once again astonished by the queen-sized bed. The bed sheets were pure silk, and in a deep, velvet color. She saw two closets, and guessed that one belonged to her, and the other belonged to Sasuke.

Sasuke walked over to his, and pulled out blue pajamas, made from silk. "You have a pair of pajamas, too. I'll go change first," He replied before disappearing into their fairly large bathroom.

Sakura went over to her closet and opened it, revealing a bunch of elegant clothes. "I could get used to this," She grinned as she pulled out her nightgown. It was a pearl color and the clothing was soft to the touch. Her eyes averted to the window next to her, which had a perfect view of the horse-ranch. Sakura gasped when she saw two horses, one white, and the other was a chestnut color, trotting alongside each other. "I can't wait to ride one tomorrow," She smiled excitedly.

Sakura heard the bathroom door click open and she turned around to see Sasuke in his pajamas.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he heard her giggling. "What's so funny?" He glared at her.

"Oh, nothing…it's just that you look like a little boy…it's so cute," Sakura laughed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and climbed onto the bed, pulling the covers up to his waist.

Sakura walked over to the bathroom with her nightgown, still laughing.

Sasuke sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes averted to the pillow next to him. 'It'll feel a bit weird sleeping next to her…but I guess I'll have to get used to it.' He thought and shrugged. Sasuke stared up at the clock and noticed it was already 11:30. "Wow…that wedding really did take the whole day…" He yawned.

Sakura came out of the bathroom, straightening out her nightgown. Sasuke gazed at her, noticing how the color of the dress fitted nicely with her flawless skin and her pink hair that draped over her shoulders. Sakura silently walked over to the other side of the bed, but hesitated to sleep next to him.

"Get on the bed. I won't do anything to you…geez, you act as if I'm going to rape you or something." Sasuke rolled his eyes. He narrowed his eyes when he saw how Sakura bit her lip nervously.

"Since it's our wedding night…we don't really have to _do it_, do we?" She asked quietly.

Sasuke let out a laugh at her innocence. "Sakura…this marriage is fake. Why would we really do it?" His laughter slowly died down when he saw how serious she was.

"I was just scared…that's all…" Sakura murmured.

Sasuke let out a deep breath and scooted further away from her sleeping place. "I know. I won't do anything, I promise. I'll turn the other way so I won't be facing you," He replied as he turned his back to her and lay down on the pillow.

Sakura still hesitated for a moment, but slowly, she lifted the covers up and climbed onto the bed. She stayed as close to the edge of the bed as possible, trying to create a bigger gap between her and Sasuke. Sasuke turned his head back slightly to peek at her. "Sakura, you know if you sleep to close to the edge, you're gonna end up falling on the floor," He stated.

Sakura frowned. She decided to move just a little closer to him. Sakura could feel the heat radiating from his body….her back felt warm. Her slim fingers grasped the silky sheets and pulled them up to her shoulders.

The room got quiet.

They could hear each other's breathing and they both felt their eyes getting heavier.

Sakura fluttered her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the bed and comforting feeling of Sasuke next to her. Her mind drifted in out of consciousness before she fell into a deep slumber.

Sasuke, however, was still awake. When he heard her relaxed breathing, he knew she was asleep. Slowly, he turned to face her and once again, couldn't help but admire her beauty. 'Hn. This pink haired brat really can seem like a mature woman, sometimes…' Sasuke reached over and brushed some bangs away from her eyes, tucking them nicely behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her warm cheek, and his thumb gently ran over her lower lip. Without thinking, Sasuke leaned in, proceeding to place a kiss on her lips.

He withdrew back quickly when Sakura stirred a bit. Sasuke sat frozen in spot, making sure she wasn't awake. He sighed in relief when she stayed still. Sasuke blushed at his actions and he turned the other way, facing his back towards her.

'What am I doing? I'm going crazy…' He shook his head and closed his eyes tightly, trying to fall asleep.

* * *

Sakura's eyes fluttered open when the sunlight shined through the window on her. She let out a soft yawn and snuggled into the warm, fluffy pillow. Sakura stretched her arms out and almost shrieked when she touched somebody. She turned to the side to see Sasuke sleeping there. Sakura blinked in confusion for a moment, then the events of the wedding all came back to her.

"Oh yea…we're married now…" She muttered to herself as she sat up.

She turned to look at Sasuke again and a smile graced her lips. He seemed so peaceful when he sleeps.

She looked at the clock and it was only 7 AM. 'Well...I guess I could still sleep for another hour or so...' Sakura thought as she lay back down and wrapped herslf in the silky sheets.

She gasped when she felt Sasuke suddenly grasp her waist, pulling her closer. Sakura blushed furiously at the close contact. "S...Sasuke! Wake up-," She let out another gasp when Sasuke snuggled into her hair, his lips brushing against her neck. 'Oh my god, oh my god...what am I gonna do?' Sakura gulped nervously. As careful as she can, she tried to unlock Sasuke's hands from her waist, but his grip was too strong.

Sakura shut her eyes, trying to ignore the feeling, but she could feel Sasuke breathing against the skin of her neck. 'Damn this asshole...' She thought as she let out a frustrated sigh.

Soon enough, Sasuke's arm relaxed and his grip wasn't that tight anymore...but somehow, Sakura didn't feel like getting out of his arms either. Strangely, it actually felt _good_ to be in his arms. He was so warm and his embrace was so comforting.

Sakura could feel her heart beating like crazy, but nonetheless, her body relaxed against his.

'Great. Now I'm not even tired anymore…' She let out another sigh and just looked out the window. Even though it was only 7 in the morning, the sun was already high up. Sakura lay there quietly, listening to the ticking noise of the clock. Every minute seemed like an hour, but she really didn't want to get out of Sasuke's arms anyway.

Sakura gasped when she felt Sasuke's head move slightly.

Sasuke yawned softly and sighed contently at the warmth of Sakura against him. His eyes shot open immediately after he noticed it.

'Oh shit.'

Sasuke clearly saw how he was hold her tightly to him and blushed at their position. He let go of her so sudden that Sakura let out a shriek. "Ah…shit…" Sasuke cussed as he got off the bed, despite how his eyes were only half open. "S…sorry, Sakura…I must've moved a lot in the middle of the night and accidently grabbed-,"

"No, you just did it now…" Sakura murmured as she sat up.

"What? Then why didn't you wake me up?" Sasuke stared at her with a confused expression.

"I didn't want to disturb you. You looked like you were sleeping so peacefully. Don't worry, I'm fine with it…it's not that big of a deal," Sakura replied quietly.

"You sure? Because you were the one who was scared to sleep next to me…and I even promised to not touch you or anything, but I still hugged you like that. Sorry…" Sasuke apologized again.

"It's fine, Sasuke. I didn't really mind…." Sakura gasped and covered her mouth, regretting what she just said.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and a smirk appeared on his face. "Oh? You didn't mind, huh? So you actually liked it when I held you like that?" He chuckled.

"No! I didn't mean it like that!" Sakura blushed and glared at him. She felt herself blushing even more when Sasuke climbed back onto the bed and scooted near her.

"You sure about that?"

Sakura yelped when Sasuke suddenly pinned her down. "Sasuke!"

Sakura was sure that her face looked like a tomato by now. She gasped when he leaned in so that their foreheads were touching.

"Heh…you're cute," Sasuke grinned.

He leaned in just a bit more, and Sakura thought he was actually going to kiss her. She kicked him off of her so harshly that he ended up flying off the bed onto the floor.

Sasuke groaned when his butt hit the ground. "…the hell!" He glared up at her.

"Who told you to get on me like that! Jerk!" Sakura glared at him, still blushing.

"Oh geez, I was just playing with you. You didn't need to kick me off that hard," Sasuke struggled to get up and rubbed his sore butt.

"You deserved it!" Sakura rolled her eyes. She got off the bed and walked into the bathroom.

"Ah….geez…" Sasuke frowned as he limped over to his closet.

* * *

After Sakura was done washing up, she noticed Sasuke wasn't in the room anymore.

She opened her closet and couldn't decide what to wear. "Aw man…they're all so pretty…" Sakura muttered to herself and randomly took out an outfit from the closet. After she was done dressing, she quickly brushed her hair and fixed the bed.

"Ooook…where the heck did Sasuke go?" Sakura walked out of the bedroom, and was still amazed at how beautiful the house was.

She walked downstairs to see Sasuke in the kitchen. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked as she went over to him.

"Oh, just checking to make sure the employers put food in the fridge and cabinets. Cook for me," Sasuke stated as he took an apple from the fruitbowl and munched on it.

"Why? Cook your own food," Sakura glared at him.

"Hey, you kicked me off the bed. You better do something nice to me because now I have a bruise," Sasuke poked her forehead and went over to the living room before she could respond.

Sakura sighed in defeat. She opened the fridge and proceeded to cook for her _beloved_ husband.

Sasuke glanced back at her and smiled slightly. He took out his cell phone and dialed Gaara's phone number. "Oi, Gaara…yea, it's Sasuke. Can you do me a favor? Call the other guys and come over."

* * *

Sakura set down the food on the table and smiled proudly at her cooking. The door bell suddenly rang and Sasuke got up to open it.

Sakura peeked to see who it was and gaped when she saw Juugo and the others. "Why the hell are they here so early?"

Suigetsu spotted her and grinned. "Sakura!" He ran over to her and gave her a tight hug.

"Ah…hey, Suigetsu…" Sakura greeted quietly.

"I smell food! Did you cook this? It looks good!" Suigetsu's eyes sparkled at the food.

"Good morning, Sakura," Neji bowed his head at her. Gaara did a small wave at her. Sai smiled politely at her. Juugo took her hand and kissed it. "Hello, beautiful. You look so cute this morning," He winked at her.

Sasuke came by and dragged him away from her.

"Did you guys eat yet?" Sakura asked them.

They all shook their heads.

"Well then, since I already cooked...why don't you guys just eat breakfast here, ok?" Sakura sat down on the table.

"Thank you. It looks delicious!" Suigetsu sat down across from her and gazed at the food dreamily. They all sat down and Sasuke sat beside Sakura.

"Oh yeaaa…would you two care to tell us what you two did last night?" Juugo smirked.

"We actually didn't do anything," Sasuke replied.

"Why not?" Juugo gaped in disbelief.

"Well, this marriage is fake, so of course we wouldn't do it," Sasuke shrugged.

"Awwww….that's no fun." Juugo frowned and crossed his arms.

Sakura just sat quietly, blushing at their conversation. 'Ugh...my gosh...couldn't they just stop with the intimate things between me and Sasuke? It's so embarrassing!' She thought as she tried to distract herself by eating.

Sasuke glanced at her and laughed at how she was blushing.

"Oh yea, Sasuke...why'd you call us over?" Suigetsu said, while stuffing a bunch of food in his mouth.

"Sakura just needs help with her schoolwork. She needs to catch up with some assignments, so I just called you guys over to tutor her," Sasuke explained.

"No problem!" Suigetsu grinned and nodded.

* * *

Sakura cleaned the table and set the dishes in the sink.

"You need any help?" Sakura almost jumped at the deep, husky voice. She turned around to see Gaara, with his arms crossed.

"No. It's alright...it's not that much to do anyways. But thank you," She flashed a quick smile at him and proceeded with the dishes.

"Well, I'll help anyway," Gaara insisted as stepped beside her and rolled up his sleeves.

"Really, it's ok. I don't want to trouble you, so-," Sakura gasped when Gaara lifted up her chin with his finger and leaned in slightly too close. She found herself blushing when he made a surprisingly, attractive smirk.

"I said I'll help, Sa-ku-ra." Gaara smirked again at her nervous expression.

"O...ok..." Sakura muttered shyly and quickly turned her head away from him. She soaped a plate and handed it awkwardly to Gaara, who rinsed it.

Sasuke walked in from the living room and his eyebrows went up in surprise when he saw them. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed that Sakura was blushing.

Sasuke went over to Gaara and put a hand on his shoulder. "Gaara, you should to watch TV with the other guys. I'll help her," He replied.

But Gaara didn't move. "It's fine. We're almost done anyway, Sasuke."

"She's my wife. I should be the one helping her do chores around here, not you. That's an order, Gaara." Sasuke said sternly.

Sakura was taken by surprise when Gaara immediately set the plate down in the sink and bowed his head slightly. "Then I'll do what you say." He obediently walked away to join the others.

"Why do they listen to you like that?" Sakura asked.

"I'm the son of the President of the Uchiha Company. Sooner or later, I'll be their leader in this business industry, so of course they have to obey me."

"Oh..." Sakura muttered.

"...and...why were you blushing just now when you were with him?"

Sakura stared at him and noticed he looked a bit irritated. "He just offered to help me, Sasuke..."

"Hn. Really? He didn't flirt with you or anything?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"N...no..." Sakura lied.

Sasuke stared at her supsicously and crossed his arms. "We're husband and wife now, legally, to the whole world. You better be careful around other men, Sakura. People could easily spread rumors and that could create a scandal all over the news for us. It'd be a very complicated situation."

"Well, same to you too! You better be careful when you go and hangout with Karin," Sakura glared at him.

Sasuke was about to argue, but he knew that was true. It'd be harder to go see Karin from now on. "Whatever. Are you almost done?"

Sakura quickly dried the last plate and nodded. "Well, thanks for _helping_ me, Sasuke. Geez...what was the point of telling Gaara to go away?" She rolled her eyes.

"Why? Do you want him here?" Sasuke smirked.

"No! It's just that you said you would help me, but you didn't even touch the dishes. What a helpful husband you are," Sakura replied sarcastically and wiped her hands.

"Well, I certaintly can be helpful in other ways, Sakura," Sasuke grinned and hugged her from behind.

Sakura didn't why she always got nervous when Sasuke did that to her. She quickly pried his arms off of her. "Ugh, quit playing around. By the way, how am I supposed to do my school work if I don't have my backpack with me?" Sakura quickly tried to change the subject.

"All you really need is a paper and pen, Sakura." Sasuke flicked her forehead. Sakura pouted and glared at him.

"Come on." He took her hand and dragged her along with him to the other guys.

"Ok. TV off, please. Suigetsu, you're in charge of teaching her World History. Juugo, you're in charge of Calculus. Gaara, you're in charge with English. Sai, you're in charge of Chemistry. Neji, you're in charge of Economics. And I'll be tutoring her on World Business." Sasuke stared up at the clock above the TV. "I guess we'll be split up into an hour each. The order is Neji, Juugo, Sai, Gaara, Suigestu, and then me."

Sakura gaped. "But each hour for all you guys...it's like 6 hours of studying..." She groaned.

"I know. So think as if you're in school," Sasuke shrugged.

"Fine...ah, but after that, I want to horseback riding, if there's anymore time left," Sakura smiled.

Sasuke thought about it for a moment. "...sure...I guess that'll be ok."

* * *

Sakura glanced up at the clock and noticed it was almost noon. 'Uuugh...why is time going by so slow?' She sighed.

She was currently studying with Neji, and they were both sitting down on the floor, opposite of each other, with Sakura's economics book opened.

Neji noticed that she was constantly checking the clock, so he closed the economics book. "Sakura." He called her name sternly.

"Ah, y...yes?" Sakura blinked at his strict tone.

Neji's intense stare was making her uncomfortable. Sakura gulped and averted her eyes down to her notebook.

"Please pay attention. If you want to catch up on your schoolwork, I suggest you shouldn't stare at the clock every 5 minutes. If you don't want to do this, we can stop. I'll tell Sasuke that-,"

"No, no, I'll pay attention! Please...I really don't want my grades to be worse," Sakura pleaded and apologized.

She was taken by surprise when Neji stood up. She thought that he was really going to cancel the tutoring, but instead, he sat down right next to her. He sat so close to her, that their shoulders were practically touching.

"Um...Neji...aren't we a bit too close-," "This way, you'll pay better attention." Neji smirked at her.

Sakura blushed and once again averted her eyes down. 'Damnit. Why do they all have to be such a smartass?' She frowned as she fiddled with her pencil.

She heard Neji make a small laugh and she turned to see him smiling at her. She admitted, he looked quite handsome when he smiled.

"Sorry. You're just cute when you make that pouty face." Neji replied quietly, giving her a warm look.

Sakura bet she looked like a tomato by now. "Uh...a...anyways..." She quickly opened the economics book again and tried to focus on the content, but she could feel Neji's eyes on her.

"...um...Neji...can you stop staring at me like that?" She asked shyly. "Why?" Neji smirked.

"I'm kind of uncomfortable with you looking at me like that." Sakura murmured.

"Well then, ignore me. Pay attention to your notes." Neji merely stated.

Sakura let out a sigh and tried her best to ignore his gaze. Her hands felt sweaty as she was writing and she froze when she felt Neji lean closer to her. She could feel strands of his medium-length hair drape over her shoulders.

"You're doing it wrong. Read the section, again. Economy has alot to do with business and money." Neji replied, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Oh, sorry." Sakura quickly erased her notes and re-read the section. 'Geez...how long is he going to stare at me? Is there something on my face or something?' She thought.

She gasped when she felt his fingers brush away some of her bangs away from her eyes. Neji gently tucked them behind her ear. "Sorry...they were just bothering me. Your bangs looked like they were in the way of your eyes." He muttered and withdrew his hand away.

"No, it's alright. Thank you..." Sakura didn't dare to look at him.

Neji made a small smile at how red her cheeks are. 'She's blushing, huh?' He thought and unexpectedly reached over to pinch one of her cheeks.

"Neji!" Sakura shirked in surprised and pouted.

"You're cute." Neji smiled.

Sakura hesitantly pushed his hand away and rubbed her cheek.

'Damn Sasuke Uchiha. Damn it all. Why do all his friends have to be so flirty and good looking?' She thought, irritated.

Neji chuckled at her annoyed expression. "Alright, alright...I'll stop messing around. My hour is almost up, so we need to get through 3 more pages." His own expression quickly became serious as he read through the book.

Sakura blinked at how quickly he could transition. Her eyes lingered curiously at him, observing every aspect of his elegant features. She realized that she kind of liked his long hair...it was so silky, and soft to the touch. It was probably more healthier than her own hair. His eyes were a deep pearl color, and his skin tone seemed flawless.

Sakura wondered how he was so beautiful.

'I don't get it. Why am I so attracted?'

* * *

**Ooooook. So, yea. Neji's the first one to get her a little excited, lol. The next chapter will probably be the continuation of the other guys tutoring her...so look forward to that.  
**

**& Especially when it's Sasuke's turn ;)**

**Hahaha, I'm trying to make them really flirty, lol. So sorry for the long wait, and the next chapter will be up soon.**

**REVIEW.  
**


	9. My Heart Beats Fast

**My Heart Beats Fast**

_*Lalala :) Wasup, you guys! So here's the next chapter! REVIEW._

* * *

Sakura was kind of nervous...because it was Juugo's turn.

"Soooo...since the guys are in the other room, and we're alone, do you wanna do something?" Juugo winked at her.

"Can we please just stay focused on the assignments, please?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Why? It's much more interesting if we-," "Juugo, please." Sakura interupted, not wanting to hear his dirty jokes.

Juugo grinned at her uncomfortable expression. "Sure. Anything for you, beautiful," He replied, causing Sakura to blush.

He opened the Calculus book, flipping to the page where Sakura needs help on.

'Calculus, huh? I wonder if he's good at it. He doesn't seem like the type to be an expert at math...' Sakura thought, while opening her notebook.

She was a bit surprised to see his serious face. She's never seen him without a goofy smile.

"So...for the first problem, do you know the definition of a horizontal asymptote?"

Sakura shook her head. She nearly gaped when Juugo stated the definition in such complicated terms. He seemed like a totally different person.

"Wait, wait, the way you're explaining it is too hard. Can you put it simpler words?" Sakura was struggling to take notes on what he was saying.

Juugo laughed and nodded. "Ok. Wow, you're really slow at this, huh?" He explained it again, this time, using easier terms and words.

"You're really good at all this...how do you memorize all the formulas and definitions?" Sakura blinked, amused by how intelligent he actually was.

"It's not that hard. You just gotta pay attention and do your work." Juugo shrugged.

"I do, but I still don't get it," Sakura pouted.

"...someone as beautiful as you should succeed academically, Sakura," Juugo smirked at her. "...and you should succeed physically, as well," He eyed her, up and down.

Sakura blushed and looked away uncomfortably.

Juugo laughed. "Just kidding. Ok, well..." He let out a sigh and his face became serious again.

"Let's just finish up this problem, then you should try solving a few."

* * *

It was Sai's turn. Sakura had never really talked with him before, so she sat quietly and awkwardly, listening to him.

"You're awfully quiet, Sakura." Sai suddenly stated.

"Oh, well...I'm just listening to you, so...I think it'll be rude if I just talk and interrupt you," Sakura muttered.

"You're very polite. I'd expected you to be talkative, like whenever you're with Sasuke..."

Sakura made a small smile at him. "It's just that I've never really talked with you before, so I have nothing to say."

Sai stared at her for a while, making the smile on her face disappear slowly.

'Why do they always stare at me like that?' Sakura avoided his gaze.

She gasped in surprise when Sai swept back a piece of hair behind her ear, and a shiver went down her spine when his finger brushed gently against her cheek.

"I won't bite, Sakura. If you want to talk anytime, I'll gladly listen. As Sasuke's wife, you're now my friend, too..." He made a charming smile at her.

"T...thank you..." Sakura stuttered. She kinda liked Sai's personality. He was so kind and considerate.

Sai turned back to explaining and this time, Sakura felt just a bit comfortable to ask questions. 'He's not like the other guys...I actually feel comfortable around him. I already feel as if we're going to be good friends.' Sakura thought and smiled at Sai.

* * *

Gaara sat down quietly next to her and opened the English book.

Sakura watched as he flipped through the pages with a bored expression.

Gaara ran his hand through his hair and turned to look at her. "So? What do you need help on?"

Sakura found herself instantly blushing at his voice. "Um...Section 2 of Chapter 13..."

Gaara made a small nod and turned to the page. "Basically, you just need to know the techniques and dialogue of writing a good essay. Make sure your sentences aren't too choppy, nor should they be really long. They should contain correct punctuations and grammar, as well as a good understanding of what situation you're writing about..." He trailed on and on.

Sakura quickly took notes on what he said, writing as fast as she could.

Gaara stared down at her notebook and a smirk appeared on his face. "You write sloppy." He randomly stated.

Sakura sighed in embarrassment. "Sorry...I'm just trying to write down what you're saying as fast as I can..."

"You can tell me to slow down, you know." Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Yea...sorry..." Sakura muttered.

"You apologize too much."

"Sorry-," Gaara put his finger on her mouth to hush her. He smirked again at her surprised face.

"You apologize too much, Sakura..." Gaara repeated.

This time, Sakura just nodded, not daring to utter another word.

Gaara withdrew his hand back and turned his attention back to the book.

Sakura could feel her hands sweating as the silence dragged on.

Gaara glanced over at her. He almost smiled at how nervous she looked. 'Hn. She's cute...' He leaned over and like when they were washing dishes, he lifted up her chin and turned her face so that she faced him.

Sakura didn't know what to do. Her body sat frozen, her emerald eyes staring into Gaara's mint-green eyes.

"You're so adorable when you get nervous, you know?" He muttered and one corner of his lips broke into a small smile.

'Oh come on...I barely this guy, and here I am, blushing like crazy...' Sakura thought and forced herself to turn her head away from him.

"Sasuke's lucky to have met you first...but..." Gaara paused for just a moment. "...I might just steal you away from him."

Sakura was beat red, by now. She sat speechless, while Gaara chuckled at her flustered expression.

"Well, we can talk about this matter later in the future...but as for now, let's get finished with this chapter..." He replied and resumed to tutoring her.

* * *

"Sakura! Sooo, let's talk about history. How much do you know, currently?" Suigetsu plopped down next to her and put his arm around her casually.

Sakura explained to him what she knew, while gently trying to shrug his hand off her shoulder. Suigetsu noticed this and just grinned, tightening his grip on her.

"Alright, so you're not that far behind from the class. We're just 2 chapters ahead of you. Why don't you start reading, first and then I'll ask you some questions referring to the text, ok?"

Sakura nodded in agreement. She still tried to shrug his hand off.

"You know I'm not letting go , right?" Suigetsu laughed.

Sakura blushed,realizing that he already knew. She stopped and just sat awkwardly with his arms around her. She tried to focus on the book, but every once in a while, Suigetsu would squeeze her shoulder.

"Hey, Sakuraaa," Suigetsu purred in her ear, causing shivers down her spine.

Suigetsu laughed at the way she tensed up. "Heh, you're so adorable. You're Sasuke's wife now, but it'll only be for a few months...so..." He pulled her closer to him. "...I think I'll try to make an effort to make you fall in love with me, ok?" He grinned at her cheekily.

"What? What are you saying-," Sakura was cut off when Suigetsu leaned a bit too close to her...their foreheads were practically touching now.

"Hm? You're not ok with that? Well then, let's just see how long you can resist me, Sa-ku-raaa..." He purred her name and winked at her cutely.

Sakura blushed and pushed him away. "Seriously, what's with all you guys today?" She sighed.

"Oh? The other guys were like this, too?" Suigetsu smirked, knowing that the others were already starting on the bet. He flashed a smile at her. "Well then, I'm just gonna have to be more competitive, don't I?"

Sakura blinked, not getting what he was saying.

Suigetsu just chuckled at her clueless expression and turned back to the book.

* * *

"Great. It's your turn." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sasuke glared at her and sat down beside her. "Shut up. You better thank me for even calling them over to teach you. Or else, you'd be failing."

"Yea, but...they're just all so different from what I expected," Sakura shrugged.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Hm...well, Juugo surprised me the most because he was actually serious. He said a couple dirty jokes, but I never expected him to be so intelligent. Sai was such a gentleman...I think I'd actually like to hang around him more. Suigetsu, Neji, and Gaara were all so..."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes when he saw her blush.

"They were just so flirty around me. Ugh, geez..." Sakura shook her head and let out a deep breath.

"Flirty?" Sasuke gaped.

"Yea. They kept saying weird words and kept touching me."

"Touching?" Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Yea...and they kept leaning towards me, like they were going to kiss me or something..." Sakura muttered.

"What?" Sasuke stared at her like she was crazy.

"Seriously! They did this..." She copied their moves, and unexpectedly reached up and pulled Sasuke closer. "And then they would lean closer and closer." Sakura leaned closer towards him.

Sasuke just saw there frozen, blushing at what Sakura was doing to him. "And then they would stop just when our noses meet." Sakura replied as she put her forehead on his and shifted her head to the side so that their lips were only a few centimeters apart.

Silence filled the air for a while. Sakura's emerald eyes stared into Sasuke's dark orbs. Sakura blinked, realizing what she just did and blushed at their position. 'Shit...' Sakura pulled away, but Sasuke grabbed her arms and pulled her back.

Sakura gulped and held her breath.

"Did you really have to demonstrate it, Sakura?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Sakura didn't respond.

"You actually got me a nervous there for a while..." His thumb gently caressed her cheek.

Sakura was cussing like hell in her mind. Her heart was pounding so fast, to the point where she thinks it'll actually jump out of her chest.

"They did that to you, hm? And how did you react?" Sasuke smirked.

"I didn't-" Sakura gasped when Sasuke suddenly pushed her on the ground, pinning her arms.

"You leaned in a bit too close to me, Sakura. That's a dangerous move...I could have just turned my head a little and we would've kissed." Sasuke put his forehead on hers. "Were you blushing when they flirted with you?"

Sakura hesitantly nodded.

"Oh, really? I could make you blush ten times more." Sasuke grinned at her.

"Sasuke, get off!" Sakura turned her head to the side, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Why? You were so close to me before-," "I was just telling you what they were doing to me! Geez...get off." Sakura struggled to free her pinned arms.

Sasuke rolled off of her and just laughed.

"Asshole..." Sakura glared at him and sat back up.

"You're the one that got close, first." Sasuke shrugged and sat back next to her.

"I told you, I was just showing you!" Sakura pouted.

"You really didn't have to_ show_ me, Sakura." Sasuke raised an eyebrow and resumed back to the book.

"Whatever..." Sakura glared at him again and also resumed to taking notes.

* * *

"Bye you guys!" Sakura waved to them as they exited the door.

"Bye. If you two get bored here, just give us a call and we'll be right over," Sai replied as he bowed before walking away.

Sasuke waited until they got in the car and drove off before shutting the door close.

"Wow...it's 5 o'clock. I can't believe I actually pulled through." Sakura let out a deep breath. She glanced over at Sasuke and hesitated for a while. "Um...Sasuke..."

Sasuke turned to look at her. "Yea?"

"...You're right. I should be thanking you. I mean, although they flirted a bit with me, they were really helpful, so...thank you..." Sakura muttered quietly.

"Well of course, anything for my cute wife," Sasuke pinched her cheeks before walking towards the back door.

Sakura blushed at his words, but followed him. "Where are you going?"

"You wanted to ride the horses, right?" Sasuke glanced back at her.

Sakura's eyes sparkled and she nodded eagerly. "I wanna ride the white one!"

* * *

Sakura sat on the horse, patting its long, white hair. "Wow...so pretty..." She muttered to herself.

Sasuke came out of the horse-ranch with the chestnut-colored horse. "Do you know how to ride it?" He asked.

"Um, kinda...I've only ridden a horse when I was 13 years old." Sakura replied.

"Do you want me to help you?" Sasuke proceeded to get off his horse, but Sakura stopped him.

"No. I can do it myself." Sakura pulled on the reigns and the horse made a grunting noise. Sakura gasped in surprise when the horse suddenly jerked forward. "Ahaha...see? I know how to ride it," Sakura grinned at him.

Sasuke watched as Sakura tried to get the horse to walk again.

"Ugh...come on..." Sakura pulled on the reigns harder. The horse took a couple of steps forward, but stopped again.

"You sure you don't need any help?" Sasuke smirked.

"I'm fine! I can do it myself," Sakura glared at him and kicked the horse's side gently. She was startled when the horse jerked forward again...but this time, it didn't stop. "Whoa, whoa. Calm down, horsey..."

Sakura shrieked when the horse suddenly started to run. "Ah! Sasuke!" She called his name frantically as the horse ran faster. "Oh my god, oh my god!" Sakura held on for dear life as the horse jumped a couple of times.

"Shit." Sasuke cursed as he pulled the reigns on his horse and ran after Sakura. "Sakura, hold on tight!"

Sakura grabbed the horse's hair harshly, trying to balance herself so she wouldn't fall. "Oh my god! Sasuke!" Sakura kept calling his name. She gasped loudly when the horse made a sharp turn and her weight caused her to shift to the side a bit. Sakura desperately hung on as she felt herself sliding off.

The horse was going to fast.

She could feel the wind whipping her hair furiously. "Stop, damnit!" She cried helplessly to the horse.

Sakura grasped the reigns tightly and pulled them, attempting to stop the horse. The horse only 'neighed' and shook his head irritatedly.

She could hear Sasuke's distant voice at the back of her. She glanced back slightly and realized that she had run up a high hill...she couldn't even see the mansion or the horse-ranch anymore. But she could see Sasuke riding his horse, trying to catch up to her.

Sakura yelped as the horse jumped up again, making her slip sideways. Her hands struggled to hang onto the horse, but when the horse stomped back on the ground, Sakura fell off harshly.

She winced as she felt a painful impact on her wrist. She rolled a couple of times down the hill and could feel something sharp scraping her knee.

"Ow..." Sakura groaned when she stopped. She sat up slowly and saw the scratches on her knee. Her wrist hurt terribly and her elbow was bleeding.

"Sakura!" Sasuke finally caught up to her and got off his horse. He bent down to her and stared at her worriedly. "You ok?"

"I...I'm ok..." Sakura murmured quietly, trying to stand up.

Sasuke held her elbow and felt something warm on his hand. He narrowed his eyes and looked at his palm, to see blood. "Sakura! You're bleeding!"

Sakura glanced at her elbow and sighed.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Sasuke stared down at her scraped knee.

"Ah...well, my wrist hurts a bit..."

Sasuke gently touched her wrist and bent it a little.

"OW!" Sakura glared at him.

"Sorry, sorry," Sasuke let go immediately. "I think it's broken..."

"What?" Sakura gaped.

"Can you walk?" Sasuke put a hand around her waist to support her.

"A little..." Sakura muttered and blushed at their position.

"I have some bandages back at the house...but your horse ran a bit far...we'll have to ride my horse back," Sasuke replied as he helped her walk over to his horse.

"But what about my horse?" Sakura blinked.

"It'll be fine. This area has a gate surrounding it, so he'll still be around here somewhere."

Sakura nodded. Sasuke held her waist and helped her on the horse, avoiding to touch her bleeding elbow or broken wrist.

Sakura shifted herself until she was stable on the horse. "Are you gonna get on too?"

"Nah. I'll just walk the horse...besides, if I get on, you'll have to hold me, and with your broken wrist, I don't think that'll be possible," Sasuke made a small smile at her.

"Ah...ok...thank you..." Sakura said hesitantly.

"You better be careful next time. And you need to stop being so cocky...seriously, if you needed help, you should've just asked," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"It's not my fault! The horse ran on its own!" Sakura pouted.

"Sure. Well, you're not gonna be riding the horse for a bit, then," Sasuke shrugged and took the horse's reigns, puling it along with him.

Sakura held her wrist in place with her other hand and stared at it, cringing at how deformed it looked. 'Stupid horse.' She thought to herself and sighed.

* * *

Sakura winced as Sasuke wrapped the bandage around her broken wrist.

"You're such a clutz, you know? It's only been a day after our wedding, and you already hurt yourself," Sasuke smirked.

Sakura glared at him and kept quiet.

Sasuke got some alcohol and tapped it gently on her scraped knee, then applied some bandages to it. He washed her elbow with water to get rid of the dry blood and also put a bandage on it.

"It'll probably take a few days for your broken wrist to heal..." Sasuke muttered and examined her wrist. He then stood up and took all the medical supplies over to a small closet by the kitchen.

He put them away nicely on a shelf in the closet and walked back over to her. "You ok, now?"

"Yea. Thank you, again..." Sakura nodded.

Sasuke sat down next to her and leaned his head back on the couch. "Uuugh...you're so tiring to take care of..." He complained.

Sakura was about to argue, but she was taken by surprise when Sasuke suddenly adjusted himself, slept down on the couch, and put his head onto her lap.

"W...what are you doing?" She blushed.

Sasuke stared up at her and just smirked. "Can you stay like this for just a while? I'm tired...I'm gonna sleep..."

"Well, go sleep in the bedroom! Don't sleep on my lap!" Sakura glared at him.

"Just stay like this for a while, Sakura. You owe me for calling the guys over to tutor you and for treating your injuries. So just let me rest for a few minutes..." Sasuke closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, relaxing himself.

Sakura rolled her eyes at him, but she kept still. Her expression softened after a while of staring at him.

She knew from his steady breathing that he was asleep.

"Jerk. Asshole." Sakura muttered to herself. "...but..." She glanced down at her wrist. "...you've helped me alot today..."

Sakura hesitated, but she gently caressed his silky, black hair. 'How is that they all have such beautiful features? I swear, they would make such pretty girls if they just wore a dress.' Sakura laughed at that thought. She imagined Sasuke in a dress and smile appeared on her face.

Her hand slowly traveled down to his face, where she traced his eyebrows. She looked at his eyelashes and once again admired how long they were. Her eyes averted to his lips.

Sakura's thumb brushed over Sasuke's lower lip softly. Sakura drew back immediately, realizing her actions. 'Ugh, I need to stop. What's so attractive about this jerk anyways?'

But although he was annoying and was such an asshole, she admitted that he was fun to be around with.

There was just something about him that made her heart skip a beat.

* * *

**I think this chapter was kind of random at times, haha. But yea, there's more romance to come between Sasuke and Sakura...and there'll be more conflicts involving Karin, as well as Naruto and Hinata. Please REVIEW and tell me what you think so far! **

**& Any ideas or suggestion for the next chapter? :)**


	10. Meeting Up

**Meeting Up**

_*Hey guise! :") Oh, just read and review, ok? _

* * *

Sasuke's eyes fluttered a few times. He glanced over at the time and realized it was already 8 o'clock. He looked up and saw Sakura asleep, her head leaning against the pillow couch and breathing slowly.

'I probably slept too long so she got tired, too...' He thought as he sat quietly, careful not to disturb her. He let out a soft yawn and stretched out his arms.

Sasuke gazed back at her and a small smile formed on his face. She looked like a peaceful, sleeping angel. Without thinking, he reached over and brushed away some bangs from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear, making a few strands of hair drape gracefully over her shoulders.

She was really, no doubt, beautiful.

Sasuke glanced down at her broken wrist and sighed. "You really are too clumsy, Sakura."

He hesitated for a bit, but then he leaned in towards her, placing a light kiss on her forehead. He let his lips linger there for a few more seconds before slowly pulling away.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and once again wondered why he always did that to her when she was asleep.

"Well...I should put her into bed..." He got off the couch and as quietly and gently as he can, he picked her up bridal-style and carried her towards the stairs.

Sakura stirred a bit, but she didn't wake up.

Sasuke found himself blushing when she held on tightly to his shirt and snuggled against his chest.

'This damn woman...'

* * *

Sakura awoke the next morning, feeling refreshed. She tried to move, but realized she was stuck against something warm. Sakura nearly shrieked when she noticed she was in Sasuke's arms...again. 'Seriously? Will he do this every morning?' She thought and tried to budge from his embrace.

Sakura winced when a sharp pain shot through her hand. She looked down at saw that she a bandaged wrapped tightly around her wrist. 'Oh yea...I broke my wrist yesterday...'

"You awake?"

Sakura gasped at Sasuke's voice. She turned to look at him and blushed when he leaned his head down so that their foreheads were touching.

"You fell asleep on the couch yesterday so I brought you up here...hope you don't mind?" Sasuke smirked.

"You carried me?" Sakura blinked.

"Duh. What did you think I did? Drag you by your feet or something?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Sakura glared at him and pulled at his arms with her un-injured hand. "Can you let go? I wanna go wash up."

"Why? We really don't have to do anything...we could just stay in bed and sleep all day..." Sasuke hugged her tighter.

"Well, I don't want to!" Sakura pouted and struggled to remove his arms.

"You know...you have an injured wrist, so trying to get my arms off you with one hand won't be of any use," Sasuke replied.

"Shut up. Let me go." Sakura muttered and didn't listen to him.

"Sa-ku-raaa..." Sasuke snuggled in her hair.

Sakura froze when she felt his lips brush against her neck. "W...what are you doing?" She squeaked. Her heart felt like it was slamming against her ribcage.

"Just showing my cute little wife some affection," Sasuke smirked at her flustered expression and placed another kiss on her neck.

Without thinking, Sakura used both her hands to push him off. She let out a small yelp when she felt a jolt of pain go from her wrist up to her shoulder.

Sasuke sat up quickly. "Are you ok?"

"Of course not, you asshole. Who told you to get so close to me?" Sakura glared at him.

"Geez...I just wanted to joke around with you." Sasuke let out a sigh and reached for her wrist. "Does it hurt?" He bent it a little, causing Sakura to scream out.

"Stupid! Of course it hurts!" Sakura took her hand away from him and got off the bed.

"Sorry." Sasuke muttered and quickly followed her.

"Leave me alone. I need to take a bath." Sakura replied bluntly and walked into the bathroom.

"Are you sure you can shower using only one hand?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I can. You pervert! Don't think that I'll need your help scrubbing my back or something," Sakura shot another glare at him before shutting the bathroom door close.

"What the hell? Pervert? I was just being nice and concerned towards you! **_You're_** the perverted one! You probably _**want**_ me in there!" Sasuke exclaimed through the door.

"Go away!" Sakura yelled on the other side of the door.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and walked away, finding another bathroom in the house to use. "Pink haired-brat..."

* * *

They both sat downstairs, both not saying anything to each other. Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and noticed how damp her hair was. "You didn't even dry your hair." He scoffed.

"Shut up. I like drying it naturally, ok? If I use a hair-dryer, it'll damage my hair." Sakura argued back.

"You could've used a towel-," "I already did. My hair's not even that wet." Sakura cut him off and got off the couch.

"Ok, ok, calm down, geez..." Sasuke rolled his eyes at her.

Sakura was about to argue, but Sasuke's phone suddenly rang. She knew that it was Karin by the look on his face.

"Hello?" Sasuke answered.

Sakura just stared at him as he talked on the phone.

After a while, Sasuke hung up and got off the couch. "Karin wants to meet me."

"Well go, no one wants you here." Sakura glared at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. She's coming here," Sasuke smirked.

"What?" Sakura gaped.

"Yep...well, I should cook something for her." Sasuke got off the couch and walked over to the kitchen.

"Why don't you cook anything for me? Jerk." Sakura muttered.

"You're not a child...you could cook for yourself," Sasuke shrugged.

"Well, she's not a child, either!" Sakura argued.

"Yeaaa, but she's my fiancee," Sasuke smiled and took out some ingredients from the fridge.

"Well, I'm your wife," Sakura stood up and walked over to him.

"_Fake_ wife, Sakura," Sasuke reminded her.

"I have a broken wrist...how am I supposed to cook anyways?" Sakura sighed.

"I'll just buy you something later," Sasuke shrugged.

Sakura didn't want to admit it, but she kinda wanted to know how Sasuke's food tasted like. "Well, why can't you just cook for me?"

"I don't want to," Sasuke stated and got a pan out, placing it on the stove. He quickly chopped up some vegetables and put a little salt and pepper on the meat.

Sakura's stomach growled when Sasuke dumped the meat into the frying pan. The smell of it was delicious.

Sasuke glanced back at her and chuckled at her pouting expression. 'She must be hungry, too...'

Sakura could feel herself drooling and she quickly swallowed down her saliva. She turned around and walked back to the living room. "Stupid jerk...geez...I'm hungry, too..." She muttered to herself.

Sasuke mixed in the vegetables and put in some soy sauce, stir-frying it. When it was cooked, he turned off the stove and poured the food into a big plate. Sasuke looked at the clock. "She'll probably be here in a few minutes..."

He covered the plate so it wouldn't get cold and went back over to Sakura. He laughed when he saw her irritated face. "You're such a fatty. We just got up and you wanna eat already?"

"Duh! It's called _breakfast_, shit-head." Sakura glared at him.

"You can wait, Sakura," Sasuke sat down next to her and turned on the TV.

Sakura's stomach growled again, and this time, Sasuke heard it. He poked her stomach and laughed again. "Your so fat. Your stomach is already growling...you should go on a diet, Sakura."

Sakura blushed and covered her stomach. "I'm not even fat! I'm just hungry! We didn't even eat dinner yesterday!"

"You're part of the Uchiha family, now. You gotta look after your weight and all that, you know?" Sasuke teased.

"I'm completely normal! My stomach is super flat! Asshole...look at _**yours**_!" Sakura pinched his stomach.

Sasuke flexed his stomach and just when Sakura was about to let go, he grabbed her hand and placed it right on his abs.

"Yea, look at _mine_. It's totally fine, right?" Sasuke's eyebrows went up and down as he guided her hand around his abs.

Sakura turned red and she jerked her hand away. "You pervert!"

"What are you talking about? You're the one touching me," Sasuke replied with an innocent face.

"Ugh!" Sakura got off the couch and went out the back door.

Sasuke got up and was about to follow her, but the door bell rang. He glanced up at the clock and realized it was 10 o'clock. He walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Karin in professional dress.

"Hey, babe." Karin walked in, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"What's up?" Sasuke closed the door after she came in.

"Oh...just wanted to see you...I haven't seen you a few days, you know? This whole fake marriage thing is making it more difficult us to spend time together." Karin sighed as she took off her sunglasses and tossed it to him.

Sasuke grabbed it and put it nicely on the coffee table when they went into the living room.

"Where's that pink-haired girl?" Karin asked.

"I don't know. We had a little argument and she went out the back door," Sasuke shrugged.

"A fight? You two don't get along at," Karin giggled as she walked over to the back door. She saw Sakura walking into the horse-ranch.

"Wow...you this mansion is amazing. You guys even have horses?" Karin looked back at him.

"Yea. Do you want to ride one?" Sasuke offered.

Karin nodded eagerly.

Sasuke held her hand and took her with him.

Sakura patted her white horse, glaring at it for a while. "Stupid horse...you made me break my wrist..." She muttered to herself. She turned around to see Sasuke and Karin walking towards her.

"Karin wants to ride one," Sasuke simply stated.

"I want to ride the white one!" Karin grinned.

"What? But that's my horse-," "Sakura, it'll just be for a bit. Go back inside," Sasuke cut her off and helped Karin onto the white horse.

Sakura just stared in disbelief as Sasuke got on his horse and they both rode away with the horses. "I can't believe he just did that!"

Sakura was mad, but she felt kind of hurt. Whenever Karin was around, Sasuke completely forgot about her.

* * *

Sakura stared down at her broken wrist and sighed. "He can be so caring sometimes...but...he's still such an asshole..."

She got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen, staring at the plate of food Sasuke made. She crept over slowly to it and lifed the cover off the plate. The delicious smell filled her nostrils and her stomach growled for the thrid time that morning.

"I'll just have a bite..." Sakura reached for a piece of meat...but then her phone rang.

"Ugh!" She opened her cell phone and looked at the number. Her mood completely dropped when she saw the blocked number. Although she already erased it, she knew the number by heart.

It was Naruto.

'Should I answer it?' Sakura bit her lower lip nervously. She stared at her phone and took a deep breath. Sakura gulped and she hesitantly answered the call.

"Hello?"

_"Sakura?...This is Naruto..."_

"...what do you want?"

"_Can we talk for a bit?"_

"About what?"

_"Just about...things. I saw the news...about the wedding..."_

Sakura gripped her phone tighter. "So? What about it?"

_"I need to talk to you...are you at home?"_

"No."

_"Where are you? Can we meet?"_

"Why?"

_"Please, Sakura...it's important...I just really want to tell you something...please..."_

Sakura let out another deep breath. "I'm with Sasuke right now..."

_"...what? Why?"_

"We're married now, Naruto. Of course I have to stay with him..."

_"Well then...are you at his place?"_

"...no...Just tell me where you are...I'll..." Sakura hesitated for a moment. "...I'll...come and meet you..."

_"Seriously? Ok, then...I'll be at Ichiraku. Meet me there."_

"Ok...but it'll take a while. Since I'm Sasuke's wife now, there will probably be cameras when I go out..."

_"Alright, I can wait."_

"Bye..." Sakura said slowly, not wanting to end the conversation. She missed the sound of his voice. She remembered how they would talk for endless hours and one of them would usually fall asleep first.

Naruto hung up. Sakura closed her phone and glanced outside where the horse ranch was. 'Well...Sasuke wouldn't really care if I was gone for a bit...so I guess it's ok.' She thought.

Sakura ran upstairs into their room and looked frantically in her closet to find something she could wear as a disguise. She quickly pulled out a scarf and a sunglass. She tied the scarf around her head, which was incredibly difficult to do with only one hand, and pulled it closer to frame her face. She put the sunglasses on and ran back downstairs.

She took one last look out the backdoor to see if Sasuke and Karin were back yet; then she left out the front door.

* * *

**This chapter is short :\**

**So...what's gonna happen now? Sasuke's with Karin, and Sakura is sneaking out to meet up with Naruto...well, the next chapter will be coming soon, so please REVIEW.**

**:)**


	11. First Time

**First Time**

_*Hey guise! :") So...here's the next chapter~read, enjoy, and REVIEW!_

* * *

It took Sakura a while to get out of the isolated area. She finally got to the freeway and saw a taxi coming by.

"Taxi!" Sakura ran towards it. The taxi stopped and she got in.

"Um...to Ichiraku, please," She replied as soon as she closed the car door.

Sakura took off her sunglasses and the driver looked back at the exact time.

"Hey...aren't you Sakura Uchiha?" The driver's face lit up.

Sakura gasped and quickly put back on her sunglasses. "Please, don't tell anyone, especially the media about this. I'm just going to meet a friend and it's difficult to get out without cameras following me, so please..." She begged.

"Of course, of course! I won't tell anyone. It's such an honor to have met you face to face!" The driver smiled excitedly. "Oh, and you don't have to pay for this ride. Consider it as a favor."

"Really? Thank you!" Sakura sighed in relief. She didn't even have any money with her right now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Karin were riding back to the horseranch.

"You're still amazing at riding horses, Karin," Sasuke smiled at her.

"Of course. I've been riding horses ever since I was seven." Karin shrugged and got off the horse. "So...this is your wife's horse?"

"Yea. Sakura's clumsy...she doesn't even know how to ride a horse. She got all cocky and ended falling off the horse and broke her wrist," Sasuke sighed as he also got off his horse.

"Hn. The way you talk about her always makes her seem like a person with no talents," Karin laughed a bit.

Sasuke silently agreed. All Sakura was really good at, was arguing.

"Well, let's go back inside. I cooked breakfast for you," Sasuke took her hand.

"Aw, thanks. I didn't eat anything at home," Karin placed a light kiss on his cheek.

Sasuke walked over to the kitchen and noticed the cover was slightly lifted off the plate. 'Ugh...Sakura probably ate some...' He rolled his eyes.

He took the cover off and grabbed two plates.

"Wow...and your cooking looks amazing, like always." Karin smiled as she took a spoon from him and started eating. "Does that girl even know how to cook?"

"Yea...Sakura cooks pretty well, actually." Sasuke admitted.

"I see. Where did she go, anyways?" Karin raised an eyebrow and looked towards the living room.

"Probably upstairs or something," Sasuke shrugged.

"Why don't you ask her to join us?" Karin suggested.

"Why? I haven't even seen you for the past week and I wanna spend this time with you. We don't need her down here with us," Sasuke refused.

Karin grinned at him. "You really don't like her, do you?"

"She's just irritating, that's all," Sasuke muttered.

"Well, good...that means she can't take you away from me," Karin leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips.

"Of course she can't. She's nothing compared to you," Sasuke smiled at her and kissed her back.

* * *

Sakura finally arrived at Ichiraku. "Thank you, again, sir!"

"Sure, anytime!" The driver smiled at her before driving off.

Sakura turned around to face the small restaurant and she took a deep breath. 'It'll probably be awkward between us...but...I also want to talk it out...' She thought.

She walked in to see Naruto sitting at the far end of the restaurant corner. She quietly walked over to him.

Naruto looked up and at first he didn't recognize her, but when she took off her sunglasses and sat down, his face lit up.

"Hey Sakura," He greeted.

"Hi..." Sakura muttered.

"What's with the scarf around your head? And the sunglasses? And your wrist?" Naruto laughed a bit.

"Well...I need to disguise myself...and I broke my wrist while riding a horse yesterday. Since I"m married to Sasuke now, I'm known, worldwide...I wouldn't want to be caught meeting up with you. They'll probably make up a story on the news that I'm cheating on Sasuke or something," Sakura rolled her eyes and placed her sunglasses on the table.

"Yea...so...about that..." Naruto started off. "...I'm still not convinced about your relationship with him..."

"Well, I really am in love with him, ok?" Sakura lied.

"I don't believe it. You got engaged to him only _two_ days after we broke up," Naruto narrowed his eyes at her.

Sakura couldn't believe how easily he said that. It was like the breakup was nothing big.

"Why would you care?" She glared at him.

"Sakura...I'm really sorry about everything I've done to hurt you...but...you should know that even know I'm with Hinata now, I still love-,"

"Stop." Sakura interuppted. "Don't say that. If you really did love me, you would have never left me...and especially with Hinata."

"Just please understand our feelings too-,"

"How can I _understand_ anything? If you two would've just told me from the start that you had feelings for each other, then maybe I would've forgave you...but you two hid this behind my back for a whole **_year_**. So how the hell am I supposed to understand anything?" Sakura's voice was trembling and she could already feel her tears forming. She quickly wiped them away before they fell.

"I know, and that's our fault. We feel terrible that we never told you in the beginning...and we're both just really sorry. I never intended to hurt you, Sakura. The time we spent together was special, and I really did love you." Naruto looked down at his lap with a guilty expression.

"Yea...but you didn't love me enough to tell me the truth."

"Hinata and I discussed about it, and...we agreed to start over."

"What do you mean?" Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"We agreed that if you want to come back to me...then we would break up."

Sakura froze and held her breath.

"Sakura, this is all we can do for you. If you're willing to give me a second chance, I promise I'll never lie to you again, and between me and Hinata..." Naruto paused for a moment, hesitating. "...we'll...let go of what we had. She's your bestfriend and she doesn't want you to be hurt anymore. So we'll give up our relationship if that's what it takes to make you trust us again..."

Sakura averted her eyes down at the table. She sat in silence, thinking for a while. She loved Naruto, alot...and she didn't really want to lose her friendship with Hinata, but...she didn't know if she could really forgive them.

"We'll give you as much time as you need to think about this. We're really sorry and all we want is to have you trust us again. If you do agree..." Naruto reached for her hand.

Sakura tensed up at the sudden contact. Naruto held her hand in his and squeezed it slightly. "...I'll definitely cherish you this time."

She looked at him and searched his eyes for any lies. But he looked serious.

Sakura gently jerked her hand away from him and grabbed her sunglasses.

"Right now, I'm Sasuke's wife...so...it'll be a difficult situation. But...I'll think about it..." She replied and turned to go.

"Wait!" Naruto called out, causing her to stop.

"If you don't have anything to do...can we spend today together?"

Sakura's heart fluttered at that statement. "I...I don't know. I just left without saying anything to Sasuke, and-,"

"Sakura, please. I know you've been avoiding me ever since our breakup, and it's all my fault, but...I just want to take you out today. Just for a while, Sakura." Naruto pleaded.

Sakura didn't know what to do. She wanted to spend the day with Naruto, but then again...it'd be difficult to try and hide herself from so many people around. "There's too many people who know me now. If I do hangout with you today, there'll probably be some people who might recognize me, despite my disguise. Sorry..." She muttered and turned to go again.

Naruto took a step forward and grabbed her elbow.

Sakura's body tensed up again.

"Sakura, it'll just be for a while. I..." Naruto pulled her closer to him. "...I really miss you..." He muttered quietly.

Sakura stayed quiet. She stared silently in wonder at him and her lips trembled. "...ok..."

* * *

After they were done eating, Karin had to leave.

"Why can't you stay for while?" Sasuke pulled her back into a hug.

"Sorry, babe...I got a call from my friend. I promised her today that I'd go to the amusement park with her at 2 o'clock," Karin replied.

"Can't you cancel it?" Sasuke snuggled in her hair.

"No, I can't. We've already planned to hangout today for the past 2 weeks. I'll come again tomorrow or something, ok?" Karin placed a kiss on his cheeks.

"...hn...fine. But call me later, ok?" Sasuke smiled and let her go.

Karin nodded and walked out the door.

Sasuke watched her as she got in her car and drove away before closing the door. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. 'Sakura hasn't come down this whole time. Is she asleep or something?'

He ran upstairs to check up on her.

"...or she probably snuck some of my food and is eating it right now..." Sasuke rolled his eyes as he opened the bedroom door. To his surprise, Sakura wasn't there. He walked over to the bathroom and noticed it was empty.

"What the hell?" Sasuke ran out of the room and checked in the other rooms. Sakura was no where to be found.

"...where the heck did she go?" He ran back downstairs and checked out the backdoor to see if she was in the horseranch.

"Not here either..."

Sasuke let out a distressed sigh and went to the pool. She wasn't there either. "Damn..."

He was panicking by now. He took out his cell phone and proceeded to call her, but he realized that he had never asked for her number. "Shit!"

Sasuke cursed and closed his phone harshly. "Was she seriously mad at me this morning?" He groaned and quickly dialed his personal driver.

* * *

Sakura sat awkwardly in Naruto's car.

"So...anywhere specific you wanna go?" Naruto broke the silence.

"I don't really care," Sakura shrugged.

"Well then...can we go to the park that we went on our first date?" Naruto hesitantly asked.

Sakura's fists clenched tightly. It was also the place where they shared their first kiss. "Sure..."

After a while of driving, they finally reached the park. Memories of their time together flashed through Sakura's head. 'Ugh...why in the hell did I agree to come?' She thought as she opened the car door and got out.

Naruto walked over to her side and reached out his hand to her.

Sakura just stared blankly at him.

"Can't we hold hands?" Naruto smiled sincerely at her.

Sakura slowly reached for his hand, but quickly withdrew when Sasuke came into her mind. "...sorry..." She simply replied and walked ahead.

Naruto sighed and put his hands back in his pockets. He followed after her and walked closer until they were shoulder-to-shoulder.

Sakura could feel the warmth of his arm next to hers. She couldn't stop her heart from pounding so fast.

"So, how have you been this past week? You haven't been to school for 3 days," Naruto started.

"Well...I'm busy with packing my things and doing the preparations for the wedding, so I didn't have time to come to school," Sakura explained.

"I see. So you'll be living with him from now on?"

"Of course, I have to. He's my husband now..." Sakura still found it weird to say that Sasuke was now officially her husband. She still couldn't get over the fact that she was now Sakura Uchiha.

"It's just hard to believe that you're married now. I mean, you're only 17 and you have a full life ahead, but...you're _married_. Sakura, tell me...do you honestly, really love him?" Naruto dared to ask again.

Sakura nodded without hesitating. She was taken by surprise when Naruto suddenly grabbed her arms and turned her towards him.

"Then look me in the eye and tell me straightforwardly that you love him...because I know that you still love me. You can't possibly just have a change of heart after two days-,"

"Why are you telling me that?" Sakura glared at him. "You fell in love with Hinata after_** minutes**_ of meeting her. So don't tell me that bullshit." Her voice was shivering.

Naruto stood speechless. He slowly let go of her arms and let out a frustrated sigh. "I know...but...tell me...tell me that you really love him...I want to hear it. I want to know if you can say it. If you can't, then I know that you obviously don't love him."

"Why should I have to prove anything to you?" Sakura refused and continued walking.

"If you do love him, then why can't you just say it?" Naruto followed after her, trying to keep up with her pace.

Sakura didn't answer. For the second time that day, her tears ended up coming again. She fluttered her eyes and tried to keep them in, but they dripped down her cheeks. She gasped in surprised when Naruto grabbed her, pulled her back and embraced her tightly.

"...if you do love him...then why are you crying when you're with me?" Naruto whispered.

* * *

Sasuke was driving all around town. "Damnit, where the hell did she go?"

"Sir? Where next?" The driver asked.

"Um...to the park near my fiancee's school," Sasuke stated. He groaned in frustrations and leaned back against the car seat. 'I've already looked everywhere that she could possibly be. Where the hell did she go? It'd be bad for our publicity if she's seen walking the streets alone.'

After a while, they finally arrived at the park. Sasuke looked around to see if there was anyone around...strangely, the park was empty today. He got out and his eyes scanned the park, trying to see if Sakura was there. Sasuke was about to go back in the car, but he caught a glimpse of pink at the corner of his eyes. He looked towards the small playground and his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the two figures by an oak tree.

Sasuke immediately knew it was Sakura when he saw her pink hair. Without even closing the car door, he didn't waste any time and ran over towards them.

* * *

Sakura stood silent. It felt so good to be in his arms again...but she couldn't give in. Just as she was about to push him away, two strong hands grasped her arm and jerked her away harshly.

Sakura almost shrieked and looked up to see an angry Sasuke.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He glared at her but his expression quickly changed when he saw her teary eyes.

"...you're crying..." Sasuke immediately turned and glared at Naruto.

"What the hell did you do to her? Haven't you hurt her enough?"

Naruto glared right back at him. "I just came to apologize."

"She's my wife now...you have no right to meet with her any longer." Sasuke pulled Sakura closer to him.

"Do you love her?" Naruto suddenly asked.

Sasuke was a bit surprised at the question.

"Do you love her?" Naruto repeated.

"...she's my wife. Of course we must care for each other." Sasuke answered.

"I didn't ask if you _cared_ for each other. I asked if you_** loved**_ each other." Naruto took a step forward and grabbed Sakura's wrist.

Sasuke felt something spark in him when he saw that.

"We don't need to prove anything to you." Sasuke jerked Sakura's hand away from Naruto.

Sakura stood speechless in Sasuke's embrace. She didnt' know if Sasuke was doing this for real, or if he was just acting.

"Your relationship with Sakura is too strange-,"

"It's none of your business. You chose to leave her...she's _mine_, now." Sasuke replied possessively and turned to go, dragging Sakura along with him.

"Sakura!" Naruto called. "Remember what I told you...please think about it. I'll wait for your answer..."

Sakura looked back at him and made a slight nod.

Sasuke noticed this and his grip tightened on Sakura. He pushed her into the car and slammed the door shut.

"What the hell was that? Do you know how stupid you are? How can you just come out in public like that! And what's with this disguise?" Sasuke took off her sunglasses and quickly untied the scarf around her head.

"He called me-,"

"I don't care if he called you or not. It's too risky to come out alone now that you're married to me. Your publicity is important now, and you just can't go wherever you want to go anymore, Sakura. And plus, you're injured, too...what would happen something happened to your broken wrist?" Sasuke scolded her.

Sakura sat there quietly, looking down with her bangs covering her eyes.

"You're such a stupid brat. You seriously have no common sense! What if someone caught you out here with him? You two could be on tomorrow's front newspage and it'll cause problems for me and my family's company. Why did you even agree to meet him in the first place? And what the hell was he talking about when we left?" He demanded angrily.

"...he wanted me to get back together with him..." Sakura muttered quietly.

"Why didn't you just tell him that you can't? You're the most dumbest girl I've met, I swear! You just can't suddenly go back to him when you were announced to the whole world that you're my wife-,"

"I know!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed. "I know that! That's why I was trying to be careful about it! That's why I even wore a disguise in the first place. I just wanted to talk things out with him..." Her voice quivered. She knew she would start crying again soon.

"Then just talk on the phone! Why do you guys even have to meet? You're stupid, irresponsible, bratty, and you just can't do anything right! That's why he left you in the first place!" Sasuke glared at her.

Sasuke immediately regretted what he said when he saw tears drip down her cheeks.

Sakura let out a quiet sob and wiped away her tears, but they kept coming.

"Sakura...I...I didn't mean that-,"

"It's fine..." Sakura's lips were trembling. She couldn't stop crying...the tears just wouldn't stop. "...you're right...I'm stupid, irresponsible, bratty...and I can't do anything at all..." She managed to choke out. "I'm sorry, Sasuke...I...I knew that it was risky, and I tried my best to diguise myself...and it's my fault. Everything's always my fault..." She let out another sob and didn't say anything more. 'Everything's my fault. Sasuke's right...I'm just a burden to everyone. Naruto left me, Hinata betrayed me, Ino and my friends don't understand me, my parents married me off to Sasuke, and...and...Sasuke hates me...' She thought. She seriously just felt like disappearing.

"Sakura..." Sasuke couldn't get rid of the guilt he was feeling right now.

They were arriving at their mansion and as soon as the car stopped, Sakura opened the door and got out. Sasuke quickly got out of the car also and walked after her.

"Sakura..." He called her name again. She wouldn't turn around.

Sasuke sighed and ran in front of her, causing her to stop.

When Sakura lifted up her face to look at him with her sorrowful, teary eyes, something sparked in Sasuke again. Without thinking, he lifted up his hands and placed them on Sakura's cheeks, gently wiping away her tears.

"Sakura, I really didn't mean it. It's just...you have to be more careful when you go out, ok? And you can't just leave without telling me..."

Sakura stared at him, wondering why he was like this. He was so caring and gentle...it seemed completely different from his usual self. It was the first time he looked like he actually did care for her.

* * *

**Wow. What a chapter. I think I squeezed in a bit too much drama in one scene...it's all too much, haha. Sorry about that!**

**& I was too lazy to re-read this after I typed it, so if there's any grammatical errors, missing words, or if it was too rushed, sorry about that, too!**

**Anyways, review and tell me how you liked it. Thanks.**

**Next chapter will be up soon!**


	12. Captivated

**Captivated**

_*Hey guise! :") Here's the next chappie! Read, Enjoy, and Review.  
_

* * *

Sakura climbed into bed while Sasuke was still showering. It was now 10 o'clock.

She still wondered why Sasuke acted like that earlier...was he seriously mad at her being with Naruto, or was it just all acting? But then again, he seemed so serious...and he even comforted her when she was crying.

Sakura let out a sigh and laid down on her pillow. Naruto's offer still lingered in her mind. She didn't know if she should go back to him or not.

"I want to be with him...but...I'm married to Sasuke, now..." Sakura muttered to herself.

After a few minutes, Sasuke came out of the bathroom, wearing a bathrobe. He looked up in surprise to find her still awake, laying in bed."You're not asleep yet?"

"...just thinking about a few things..." Sakura replied quietly.

"Oh..." Sasuke plopped down next to her and laid down, staring at the ceiling. "So...he wanted to get back together with you?" He hesitantly asked.

"Yea." Sakura nodded.

"...well, are you considering it?" Sasuke glanced at her.

"I don't know. I really do want to be with him, again, but...I just can't find it in my heart to forgive him and Hinata for betraying me like that. I really don't know what to do..." Sakura slowly shifted to the side to face him. "Would you let me go back to him?"

Sasuke was a bit taken back by that question. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if I do go back to him...it'll be complicated since I'm known as your wife, now." Sakura replied.

"It'd be bad if people found out...and my company as well as my family could be in a lot of trouble. Personally, I don't think you should go get together with him again, since he's hurt you so much, and you're also known as my wife, now...but...he's your ex-boyfriend, so it's not my place to choose for you."

Sakura didn't reply. She stayed quiet, staring at him.

Sasuke decided to not utter a word either. Her eyes were so sad and he could clearly see how confused she was. 'She loves him, alot...but she's also thinking of my position, too...' He never guessed that she would be the type to think of other people's feelings.

"Um...so, listen...about earlier...sorry for yelling at you like that-,"

"It's ok, Sasuke. You already apologized like 5 times...it was my fault, anyways." Sakura made a reassuring smile at him.

Sasuke swore his heart skipped a beat. 'Damn...what the hell? Why am I feeling nervous around her now?' He thought.

"And Sasuke..."

"Yea?" Sasuke once again looked at her beautiful emerald eyes.

"...thank you." Sakura simply replied before turning around and snuggling into her pillow.

Sasuke just stared at her back with a confused expression. 'What is she thanking me for?'

* * *

Morning came sooner than they expected.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she squinted her eyes because of the sun shining through the window. She stretched out her arms a little and yawned. Sakura looked beside her and noticed Sasuke was already awake.

"What time is it?" Sakura asked sleepily as she sat up.

"It's around 8 o'clock." Sasuke replied and also sat up. "Today's our last day here, too..."

"What? Already?" Sakura's eyes widened.

"Yea. Since your things are already at my place, you're moving into our house today." Sasuke threw the blanket off him and got off the bed.

Sakura looked outside at the horseranch and at her horse. "Um, Sasuke..."

"Yea?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and gazed over at her.

"Even though my wrist is still broken...can I ride my horse one more time?" Sakura asked, giving him a hopeful smile.

"Uh...I don't think it's such a good idea to ride your horse again. You'll probably get hurt again, since you're only using one hand." Sasuke shook his head.

"But Sasuke!" Sakura pouted.

Staring at her cute, pouty face, Sasuke let out an irritated sigh and rolled his eyes. "...fine. Shower and change your clothes, first."

* * *

Sasuke just stood with an annoyed look, with arms crossed, while Sakura was struggling to get on her horse.

"Ugh...stupid horse!" Sakura cursed and tried to lift herself up onto the horse. She almost got on, but she slipped back off.

Sasuke gasped and quickly caught her before she hit the ground. "Sakura, you're so useless..." He sighed. Sasuke lifted her up by her waist and sat her on the horse. Sakura nearly shrieked in surprise...she didn't know Sasuke was that strong. But to her surprise, he got on the horse, too.

"What are you doing?" Sakura blushed when Sasuke put one hand around her waist, while the other hand was holding the reign to the horse.

"Do you honestly think I'll let you ride the horse by yourself, again?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"But...this is awkward." Sakura muttered and shifted uncomfortably.

"Well then, you better get used to it. Like I said, we're husband and wife, now," Sasuke shrugged. But little did Sakura know, his heart was beating like crazy, too. Although he acted calm on the outside, Sasuke didn't know why he was feeling this way.

"Ready?" He asked. Sakura nodded. She gasped when the horse jerked forward and she grasped Sasuke's hand, which was on her waist.

"Calm down...I got you." Sasuke chuckled at her nervous face.

Sasuke pulled on the reigns again, and this time, the horse walked calmly. He felt Sakura's hand still on his own, and he was getting even more nervous.

Sakura was too busy enjoying the ride, so she didn't care whether her hand was on Sasuke's or not anymore. "Let's go all the way up the hill, ok?" She smiled back at him.

"Ok..." Sasuke muttered. Her face was so close to his own...he could've just easily turned so that their lips would meet.

But Sakura turned away her head instantly before Sasuke could react. Sasuke still felt her hand on his...and slowly, his fingers intertwined with hers.

Sakura finally realized and blushed at his actions, but she remained quiet. She hesitated, but she also intertwined her fingers tightly with his...Sakura could literally feel her heart beating furiously.

Sasuke noticed how she didn't pull away from the way he held her hand and a small smile appeared on his face. He could see a tint of pink on her cheeks and realized that she was blushing. He guessed that he probably was blushing, too, because his cheeks felt hot.

Sakura didn't know why he was acting like this. It was like...he was trying to be more romantic towards her ever since she met up with Naruto yesterday.

"Um, Sakura..." Sasuke cleared his throat. "...why did you thank me yesterday night for?"

Sakura blinked and thought for a while. "I don't really know. I just felt like I had to thank you...I guess, for everything."

"Everything?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"You know, for taking care of me, comforting me, and making these past 3 days fun," Sakura shrugged.

"Fun? So you had fun with me teasing you and all that?" Sasuke smirked.

"Not that part!" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Riiight." Sasuke chuckled at her.

Sakura rolled her eyes again and tried to free her hand from his, but Sasuke wouldn't let go.

"Stop holding my hand!" She glared at him.

"What? You were holding my hand a few seconds ago, too, so why are you trying to back out now?" Sasuke laughed as she kept trying to pull her hand away.

"That's because _**you**_ held my hand first!" Sakura argued.

"But you didn't pull away," Sasuke smiled.

Sakura blushed. "I...I didn't know how to respond, ok?"

"Well then, just stay still." Sasuke's grip tightened on her hand.

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh, but she silently obeyed and stopped struggling. She didn't know why she was so flustered around him...her fingers were literally shaking. She gulped and tired to calm down, but feeling the warmth of Sasuke right behind her and how tightly he was holding her hand, it just made her heart dance.

* * *

Naruto arrived at school and took a deep breath, walking over to Hinata.

Hinata turned around and smiled when she saw him. "So...were you able to contact her?"

"Yea. We met up at Ichiraku." Naruto nodded.

"Did she agree to it? Will she forgive us now?" Hinata asked hopefully.

Naruto's shoulder slumped down slightly. "...she said she needed more time. She said that she's married to Sasuke, now, so it'll be difficult, and...she wasn't sure if she could fully forgive us yet..."

Hinata's gleeful expression fell. "Oh..." She looked down sadly and shook her head. "We should've told her from the start...or else, things wouldn't be like this. Naruto, if she really does agree to forgive us, we really have to breakup, don't we?"

Naruto pulled her into a tight hug and snuggled into her hair. "Yea, we do...but...you're willing to do it, right? For Sakura?"

Hinata hugged him back and nodded. "She's my bestfriend. I don't want to hurt her anymore...but I don't want to let you go, either, Naruto." She closed her eyes sadly and gripped the back of his jacket tightly.

"Me neither..."

Hinata pulled back slightly. "And, did you ask her about her relationship with Sasuke?"

"When I asked her if she loved him, she said yes...but she never directly said the words _**I love you**_. So, I'm still not fully convinced," Naruto narrowed his eyes and crossed his arm.

"What if she really is in love with him? Are you...jealous?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

"I don't really, know, Hinata. I'm kind of stressed out right now, too." Naruto sighed in frustration.

Hinata was about to say something, but the bell rang.

"...well, I'll call you later,ok?" She smiled at him.

"Ok. If Sakura calls or meets up with me, then I'll tell you what she said."

* * *

Sakura was kind of overjoyed she finally got to eat Sasuke's cooking. And it was damn good, too...probably better than her own cooking.

"MY GOD. Where did you learn how to cook like this? Don't you guys have like chefs or something that cook for you guys, since you're rich and all that?" Sakura mumbled with food in her mouth.

"Yea. The chefs are the reason why I know how to cook...they teach me," Sasuke chuckled at how fast she was eating. "You're such a fattie."

Sakura glared at him. "Well, it's really good, ok?" She resumed to shoving the food down her throat.

Sasuke saw a piece of rice stuck on the side of her lips. He leaned over and gently wiped it off with his thumb.

The gentle touch made Sakura shiver.

Sasuke laughed at her face. She was staring at him with her wide, emerald eyes and her mouth was stuffed...she looked like bunny. It was cute. "Heh...you're cute, you know that?" He poked her cheeks.

Sakura blushed and gulped down her food...this time, she ate slower.

"There you go...eat slower like that. You're married to me, now, so you gotta eat like a proper lady. It'd be embarrassing if you ate like in public and cameras caught you." Sasuke grinned at her.

"I don't eat like that all the time...your cooking is just really good." Sakura pouted.

"Don't get so excited. You're gonna eat a lot more of those foods since you're married to me anyways..." Sasuke sighed and layed back on the couch.

Sakura could never get used to that. It still sounded strange that she was married to him, now. She never imagined being a wife this young...and being in this "fake marriage" situation.

"Oh yea, we're going over to my house in a few minutes, so get ready, ok?" Sasuke replied.

"What? Already? But it's only noon!" Sakura gaped.

"I know, but my parents want to welcome you early, so we're leaving in 20 minutes."

"But I like it here!" Sakura groaned and looked around the living room, giving it one last glance.

"Our house is much better. Come on, leave everything there...the workers will come and clean this place up." Sasuke got off the couch and reached his hand towards her.

Sakura just stared blankly at it, wondering if she should take his hand or not.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm, pulling her up. "Will you stop hesitating like that? How many times do I have to tell you that we're gonna have to get used to holding hands, hugging, and all that stuff?"

"Does that include kissing?" Sakura dared to ask.

"In public, probably, yes...if the media demands it." Sasuke shrugged.

"What! Why?" Sakura exclaimed. Hell no, was she going to kiss Sasuke.

"Well, we can't act like we dislike each other in front of the cameras. We have to do whatever it takes to make the world believe that we're actually a couple," Sasuke replied as he dragged her upstairs.

"But, kissing? I don't think I can kiss you-," Sakura gasped in surprise when Sasuke suddenly stopped and turned around to face her.

They were just inches apart.

"We're husband and wife...legally. We have to kiss sooner or later in these 3 months together in front of everyone." Sasuke murmured.

"But...I can't kiss you...I really can't." Sakura averted her eyes down.

Sasuke gazed at her eyes, down to her lips. Damn, he really felt like kissing her now.

Sakura flinched when he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head up so that she was looking at him.

"Hn. Wanna try now?" He smirked and leaned in slightly.

Sakura blushed and immediately backed up, forgetting that they were still on the stairs. She let out a yelp when she fell backwards.

Sasuke quickly caught her and he looked worriedly at her when she screamed in pain.

"Stupid! You made me hit my wrist on the stair!" There were tears on the corner of Sakura's eyes. "Ugh...damn it, it hurts..."

Sasuke quickly held up her arm and examined her broken wrist. "Sorry..." He muttered quietly.

"Will you please stop doing that to me?" Sakura jerked her hand away from him. "You keep acting like that and it makes me nervous." She let out an irritated sigh as Sasuke helped her back up.

"Sorry..." Sasuke repeated. He didn't want to tell her that he really did feel like kissing her.

Sakura glared at him, but her heart was beating like crazy. Was he seriously going to kiss her?

Sasuke gulped. He didn't know exactly why he wanted to kiss her...it was just so tempting. 'Since when did I start acting like this around her? It's getting on my nerves...'

Man, it was going to be hell, having her around for 3 months.

* * *

**Sorry that this chapter's so short :\ I just wanted to break it down a bit. **

**Anyways, REVIEW and tell me what you think! Thanks :)**


	13. Moving in with the Uchihas

**Moving in with the Uchihas**

_*Hey guise! :") OK, so to clear one thing up, Sakura is NOT fat...Sasuke just says that to tease her :) Ok? Got it? Get it? Good. _

* * *

Sasuke quickly grabbed some things from his closet and packed them in a small bag. "Alright...since you don't have anything here that's yours, let's go." He replied and headed down the stairs.

Sakura nodded and quickly followed after him.

* * *

"Am I gonna be going back to school tomorrow then?" Sakura asked after they were driving for a while.

"Hm...probably," Sasuke nodded.

"Oh...ok..." Sakura didn't know if she was ready to answer Naruto yet. She wasn't sure if she was ready to forgive him and Hinata...and she certaintly didn't want to put Sasuke's publicity at risk. "I don't really feel like going, though."

"Why not?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think I'm ready to answer Naruto yet," Sakura replied quietly.

Sasuke let out a sigh. He thought about what happened earlier when he was about to kiss Sakura. "...have you two ever kissed?"

Sakura stared at him in surprise, wondering why he would ask that. "Of course. We _have_ been dating for a whole year, you know."

"Oh...well, you love him, don't you?" Sasuke also turned to look at her.

Sakura stayed quiet, but she made a small nod.

"What do you think you _should_ do?" Sasuke asked.

"I still don't know. Like I said, I want to be with him, but I still haven't forgiven him yet...and I don't want to make things difficult for you if the media finds out." Sakura shrugged.

"I don't get why this is so hard for you." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"What if it was you? What would you do?" Sakura glared at him.

"He's your ex-boyfriend, so it's not my place to judge...but if I were you, then I definitely wouldn't go back to him. It's stupid."

"How is it stupid?"

"Look, if Karin cheated on me with one of my bestfriends, I would never forgive them. You're stupid if you even consider dating Naruto again, after he dated your bestfriend for a whole year. A year is a very long time, Sakura...even if you went back to him, things won't ever be the same again."

Sakura frowned and looked down at her lap. She knew it was true. Even if she went back to Naruto, things would never be the same again.

Sasuke glanced over at her. He didn't like it when she had on that sad expression. Somehow, it made him worry. "Sakura...just do whatever you think is right, ok?"

Sakura nodded and just flashed a quick smile at him. She wondered...just exactly how did she and Sasuke became more friendlier to each other?

* * *

Sakura was going to die from the countless amazement she was feeling. Everytime Sasuke shows her a house, it just gets more beautiful and beautiful. She swore the Uchiha mansion was literally sparkling.

"You ok?" Sasuke chuckled at her astonished face.

"Y...yea. Damn, just how rich are you guys?" Sakura blinked and shook her head.

"We are the biggest and most successful company in Japan, Sakura. What else do you expect?" Sasuke smirked.

He and Sakura got out of the car, Sasuke thanked the driver, and then the car drove away. They both walked over to the door and Sakura watched as Sasuke pressed his thumb onto a scanner. She gasped when the doors swung open. Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at her. She was like a little kid that seemed to be in a magical land or something.

Sasuke took her hand and dragged her inside with him. And for the 4th time, Sakura stood amazed at how big and beautiful the house was.

Fugaku and Mikoto came from the living room and smiled immediately when they saw Sakura. "Oh my goodness! You're finally here!" Mikoto pulled Sakura into a breathless hug.

"Ah...nice...to finally...be here..." Sakura managed to choke out and heavily gasped for air when Mikoto finally let go.

"We're very happy to have you as our daughter-in-law. Welcome to our home," Fugaku made a small nod at her.

"Thank you..." Sakura bowed and forced a smile. It felt awkward to consider them as her in-laws now.

"Soooo, how was the 3-day honeymoon?" Mikoto eagerly asked.

"It was fine. We have a great time," Sasuke answered.

"I see...and the wedding night?" Mikoto winked. Sakura and Sasuke both blushed.

"Mom..." Sasuke glared at Mikoto and cleared his throat nervously.

Mikoto laughed and shook her head. "I'm kidding! You don't have to tell me something that private. Well, anyway...Sasuke, you should take her to your new room. We asked the workers to move the bed into a larger room."

Sasuke let out a sigh and nodded, taking Sakura with him. "Sorry about my mom...she's really excited about you. You're like the daughter she's never had," Sasuke muttered.

"Oh, it's fine. She seems like fun," Sakura grinned.

They climbed up the stairs and went through a long hallway before coming in front of a wide door. Sasuke pressed his thumb into a small scanner and the door split open and slid aside.

"Wow...your house is so...techonologic." Sakura blinked.

"I know," Sasuke shrugged. He loosened his tie and took his shoes off.

"Hey! All my stuff is here!" Sakura smiled when she saw all her belongings on one side of the room.

"Yea. The moving truck came in yesterday." Sasuke replied.

Sakura walked over to the closet and her mouth fell open when she opened it. It was an enormous walk-in closet...probably the size of her bedroom back at home. She saw her clothes hung up along some other clothes that were more professional-like, some casual clothing that were still elegant looking, and some pajamas.

Sasuke peeked up behind her and smirked at her expression. "You're gonna be going in and out of the company a lot, so there's a lot of professional clothing. You gotta get used to wearing them."

"But...it's so tiring to wear high heels all the time." Sakura glared at the collection of beautiful high heels in a glass shelf.

"Get used to it." Sasuke repeated. Sakura was about to say something, but Sasuke's phone beeped.

"Text...?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and read the text message. "...ah, Sakura. Get ready."

"Eh? For what?" Sakura blinked.

"I'm suddenly scheduled for a press-meeting right now." Sasuke quickly ran over to his own closet. He quickly peeked back out. "Wear one of those dresses! Make sure you don't look too fancy, but not too casual, either." He said before shutting his closet door shut.

"What? Why right now? Ugh..." Sakura rolled her eyes and walked back into her closet. Although, she was kinda excited to try on a dress.

* * *

After a few moments, they both came out at the same time. Sasuke was wearing a nice suit with a slick, black tie. Sakura came out wearing an office-dress that came down to her right above her knees. The top was white, no sleeves, and had ruffles to add an elegant look to it. The bottom, pencil-skirt part was silky and black.

Sasuke looked up and he didn't how many times he would be astounded by her amazing taste for dresses. She always chose the ones that fitted her curves nicely and it looked wonderful on her.

"Is this good enough?" Sakura asked."Yea, it looks great." Sasuke smiled at her.

Sakura blushed and she turned back around to slip on a pair of black high heels.

Sasuke closed his closet door and walked over to her. "Ready?"

"Yea..." Sakura muttered. Her eyes averted to his tie and noticed it was kind of crooked. Just as Sasuke was about to turn to go, she grabbed his arm. "Ah, wait! Your tie..." She reached up towards his tie and loosened it with one hand, which was kind of hard to do. She tied it tighter, using both hands, but she was careful to not move her wrist too much, and angled it so that it was straight.

Sasuke stood quietly as she fixed it for him. He glanced down at her focused expression and for a moment, he imagined that she was his real wife. He wouldn't mind if she was his real wife, actually. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and blinked. 'What the hell am I thinking?' He shook his head slightly. He shrugged the thought off as Sakura finally got done.

"Ok...all better," Sakura looked up at him and flashed a smile.

Sasuke stood mesmerized for just a blink of a second. He quickly looked away and walked out of the room.

Sakura swore he was blushing. She shrugged and quickly followed after him.

"Will you please walk slower? I can't go downstairs that fast with these high heels!" Sakura sighed as she tried to keep up with him.

Sasuke suddenly haulted, causing Sakura to bump into him. "Ah...sorry-,"

Sasuke let out a sigh and turned around, grabbing her hand in his. "You're so annoying sometimes," He rolled his eyes and pulled her with him.

For some reason, they both didn't mind holding hands anymore.

* * *

**Oh my gosh. My chapters are getting shorter and shorter, haha. Well, wait and see what the press conference will be about!**

**REVIEW.**


	14. One Month

**One Month**

_*Hey guise! :") Here's the next chapter! Read, Enjoy, and Review :)_

* * *

Sakura gaped when they arrived at the company. There were so many people there.

"Wow...your popularity is growing. You'll be really successful once you inherit the company, Sasuke," Mikoto smiled.

"Ah...right." Sasuke sighed. It was such a pain in the ass to be thinking about all those responsibilities already.

As soon as Fugaku parked the car, a mob of people came over and surrounded the car. Security quickly came over to block them to allow for Sasuke's family to get out.

Sasuke opened the door and quickly walked over to Sakura's side, opening her door for her. Once Sakura got out, she linked her arm around Sasuke's without thinking. Sasuke glanced at her, making a small smile.

Fugaku and Mikoto walked over to a small stage where four seats and a beautifully decorated table with microphones were set up. Sasuke led Sakura and they followed after.

"There's so much people..." Sakura whispered. "Get used to it." Sasuke smirked.

They walked up the small stage and Mikoto sat by Fugaku while Sakura sat by Sasuke.

"Good evening everyone. This press conference was very sudden, but we'll answer any questions or concerns you have about my son's marriage." Fugaku announced.

"So this is about us?" Sakura looked at Sasuke, who nodded.

People, the media, and the paparazzi immediately started to ask questions.

_"Why did you choose her out of all girls?"_

Sasuke leaned in to the microphone. "...she's from the Haruno family. It'd benefit the company really well since this company originated from the Harunos."

_"What makes her qualify for being your wife, personally?"_

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Personally, I think she's very well behaved around the committee board and elders that are close to my father, so she's an excellent choice for me, my family, as well as the company."

_"When do you think you and your wife will inherit the company?"_

"As soon as my father resigns, which I know will be far from over. This company is important to both him and my mother, so me, along with my wife, will support them."

_"How will this marriage help the company?"_

"Since our company was on the brink of bankruptcy, this marriage will help bring up the company, financially. The Harunos come from a wealthy background, and even though Sakura's family doesn't have their own company, their honorable name alone will bring attraction to our customers again."

_"Ms. Sakura Haruno, did you fully agree to this marriage?"_

"Eh?" Sakura's eyes widened. She didn't expect them to ask _**her**_ any questions. She looked over nervously to Sasuke who made a small nod at her. She blushed when she felt his hand grasp hers and squeezed it slightly.

"Uh...um...of course. It's an honor to be the wife of someone from the Uchiha family. I'm very happy that Sasuke chose me." Sakura's voice shook a little. She wasn't used to talking in front of so many people.

_"Now that you're Sasuke Uchiha's wife, you will also hold authority over this company once Sasuke inherits it. Do you think you have any skills that can help the company be more successful?"_

Sasuke could feel Sakura's hand trembling. He stared at her worriedly because she looked really nervous.

'Oh, come on...I can't embarrass myself in front of all these people. I'm Sasuke's wife, now...I have to represent this company strongly. I don't want to make Sasuke's father look bad as the president of the company, either.' Sasuke watched in amusement as she took a deep breath, sat up straighter, and looked directly out at the audience. She gently pulled away her hand from Sasuke's grasp.

Sakura paused for just a little while more, staring out at the audience and taking another breath. "I don't think I have any professional skills that can directly and financially help this company, but I'll do my best to support. I'll stand by Sasuke's side and help him with any contracts with other companies, or if he is busy, I will my best to console with other businesses on my own. I'm just a normal girl from a normal family, but since I am a Haruno, I definitely won't let this company go to waste. I'll do whatever I can to bring ideas to build any new products that are needed, and if I can, I'll go visit the mall and stores that are sponsored from our company to see if there are any problems. I am not as smart or socially active as Sasuke, but this is all I can do to support."

Fugaku and Mikoto looked at her in amusement. Sasuke just sat speechless...damn, she could really be professional if she wanted to be. The crowd looked at each other and nodded proudly at her.

_"What are you thoughts on the responsibility you'll take?"_

"As Sasuke's wife, my responsibilities are similar to his, so I'll just follow his lead. I know it's alot to take care of, but I know I can do it."

_"Sasuke, what do you see in your future with Sakura as your wife?"_

Sasuke turned his attention away from Sakura and cleared his throat. "Um...well, the future is always unknown...but with her by my side, I know the future will be successful."

_"What do you like about her?"_

Sasuke stayed quiet for a while. "...well, all I can really say is that she's more than what the eye meets."

Sakura blinked and looked at him with a confused expression. What did he mean?

_"Can you specify that?"_

Sasuke glanced over to her. Sakura blushed when their eyes met.

"There's really no words to explain it. But, if you guys want me to specifically say what I like about her, she's beautiful, both on the inside and out."

Sakura felt herself blushing even more. She averted her eyes away from him and looked down at the table.

_"Since this was similar to an arranged marriage, are you two really in love? Or was this marriage just specifically to help the company?"_

Sakura's eyes widened. Why were they asking such personal questions now?

Even Sasuke couldn't answer that. The one condition in their "marriage" was that there was going to be no love...but he couldn't possibly say that in public.

Sakura glanced over to Sasuke. 'What's he going to say?' She thought. She could hear whispers going through the crowd and saw Fugaku and Mikoto exchange confused looks. She averted her attention back to Sasuke, wondering why he wasn't answering.

Sakura gazed down at the crowd and noticed they were getting suspicious looks. 'Oh, come on Sasuke...just make something up.' She was hoping Sasuke would answer, but he still stayed quiet.

Sasuke clenched his fist together. Saying that he "loved" her in public was kind of nerve-racking. Besides...Karin was probably watching the news right now, and if she overheard, she would probably believe it, too.

Sakura bit her lower lip anxiously. If he wasn't going to say anything, then she will.

"Of course we're in love." Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise when Sakura suddenly answered.

Sakura gulped. Even if this marriage was fake, she didn't want Sasuke and his family to be embarrassed, so she might as well just say it. "I...love Sasuke. And he loves me. We're married, so we have to learn to love, trust, and care for each other."

She let out a relieved sigh when the faces of the crowd began to lighten up again.

Sasuke couldn't believe she just said that in front of these people, the media, and TV. 'Shit...'

_"Sasuke, are you truly in love with her, too?"_

Sasuke looked at Sakura, who wouldn't make eye contact with him at all. Well, they had to make this marriage seem real, so Sasuke gave in.

"...yea. I am."

Sakura was taken by surprise that he'd actually answer this time.

_"Do you plan to have children in the future?"_

Ok, that's going too far. "Sorry, but since we just got married, we'll not be answering any questions about having children yet." Sasuke replied quickly.

For an hour more or so, they sat there, answering questions.

* * *

When the press conference ended, Sasuke and Sakura sat in silence in the car, despite the conversation that Mikoto tried to bring up to ease the awkwardness.

Sasuke and Sakura both went back in their room and changed.

Sakura came out of her closet and she could still feel her heart pounding from all the nervousness. "My gosh...why are people so interested in other people's love life?"

"Just because it's interesting." Sasuke came out of the closet.

"...Oh." Sakura muttered.

Sasuke sat on the bed and sighed. "...you did well. You always seem to have the confident whenever you're in front of so many people."

"I was really scared though. They asked so much questions and even really personal ones..." Sakura huffed and sat down on the opposite side from him.

"Ah...you know..." Sasuke paused for while. "...why'd you answer that time?"

"Well, because, you wouldn't answer. And people were giving us weird looks." Sakura turned and glared at him.

"So? You shouldn't have said anything-,"

"Look, you said we had to act like a couple in public, so I just did what I had to do. If I hadn't answer, then it would've been embarrassing for you and your parents. And people will also probably question our relationship if I hadn't answered. You're the one who's always telling me to not make you look bad, but then you couldn't even answer that question."

Sasuke shifted slightly so that he faced her. "It's not that easy for me to just announce my love publicly like that. And especially to a girl who I don't even love."

Sakura frowned. "Well good I did it, or else you would've been in a big mess with the media."

Sasuke stared at her for a while, then his expression softened. Actually...he was relieved that Sakura had answered. He didn't even know what to say when they asked him that question. He knew she was right...if she hadn't answer, then he would've just sat there in silence.

"I know..."

Sakura blinked. Did Sasuke just really admit that he was wrong?

"You're right. If you didn't answer, then there would be a whole lot of doubt from those people. I'm proud of you. Even though I've had much more experience in this kind of environment, you still answered the questions given to you more intellectually than I did." Sasuke admitted.

Sakura just sat there, speechless. She averted her eyes away from him and got up. "Um, well...show me around the house. Your house is pretty big so I wanna know where everything is." She changed the subject quickly and walked towards the door. She nearly shrieked when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist.

"Sasuke!" Sakura blushed when Sasuke hugged her tightly from behind.

"...just wanted to say that you're doing really good so far as my wife. Thank you." Sasuke murmured near her ear, causing shivers down her spine.

"I...it's fine. I'm just doing what I have to do. So...can you let go now?" Sakura stuttered.

Sasuke's arms lingered around her waist for just a while more before he let go of her. He pressed his thumb on the scanner and the door opened. "Um, so, you wanted me to show you around the house, right? Come on," He randomly replied as he walked away.

Sakura let out a deep breath and put her hand to her chest. "He _needs_ to stop doing that."

* * *

"Since we have a three-story house, there are exactly 52 rooms." Sasuke replied.

"Fifty two?" Sakura gaped. It was like she was living in a fancy mini-hotel.

"Yea. There are employees, chefs, and other workers that live here to tend to our needs and to help maintain the mansion, as well as helping my father with the company duties. Since you're married to me, they'll refer to you as Ms. Uchiha or Madam."

"Why so formal?" Sakura blinked.

"Sakura, you're part of the family that owns the most successful company in all of Japan...you need to take pride and accept the respect that you are expected to have." Sasuke said while he guided her to the living room. "This is our living room. In here, you can just relax, watch TV, have a massage, or just sit and take a nap." He pointed to a backdoor right next to the fireplace. "Out there is our backyard. It's very big and includes basketball courts, a 9ft. swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a waterfall fountain, a walk-through garden, and a small soccer field. Since our workers live here, we built some activities for them to do when they're not working."

Sakura opened the door and her eyes widened. It was almost like a huge amusement park. "Oh...and I forgot to mention the newly-built rollarcoaster." Sasuke replied. Sakura looked over to the pool and gasped when she saw a medium-size roller coaster a few feet away. "Wow..."

Sasuke smirked and grabbed her hand, tearing her away from gazing at the backyard. Sakura glanced down at their hands. She somehow felt happy...she entangled her fingers with his.

Sasuke felt her hand tighten on his and made a small smile. He took her to the kitchen and dining room, which were beautifully decorated with wall paintings and candle lights. "In here, our chefs cook for us. You can eat anytime, so whenever you feel hungry, don't hesitate to ask one of them to make you something." They walked over to the dining table. "We eat our meals here, but we only eat together as a family on certain days because my father is so busy all the time and my mother has to help him, also."

"So you eat by yourself most of the time?" Sakura asked.

"Yea. I'm used to it." Sasuke shrugged.

"Aren't you lonely?" Sakura walked closer to him.

"Nah. Like I said, I'm used to it. Besides...I'm going to be eating with you from now on, anyways," Sasuke shrugged again.

"Ah...right." Sakura grinned.

Sasuke guided her over to a wide door. He pressed his thumb on the scanner and the door slid open. Sakura was taken by surprise...the room was a gym.

She saw countless workout machines and another pool. "You guys have a pool in here?"

"Yea. Indoor pool...you wouldn't want to swim outside in the winter, right?" Sasuke dragged her in the room with him.

"Wow...it's actually like a real gym." Sakura's eyes wondered around the room.

"Heh, yea. That's why I got my abs," Sasuke smiled cockily.

"Whatever. Conceited jerk," Sakura glared at him.

"You should work out, too-,"

"Don't you _**dare**_ call me fat. I am not fat." Sakura interrupted.

Sasuke only laughed at her. He knew that she was as slim as any super-model, but it was so fun to tease her.

He then took her with him and toured the rest of the house.

* * *

***...***...***Two weeks passed***...***...***

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She yawned and snuggled back into the silky bed sheets. Her broken wrist was now healed, and for the past two weeks, she has been helping Sasuke non-stop with the company, arranging meetings, cooperating with other businesses, and checking up on the employees to see how they're doing. She was exhausted. And she _**still**_ hasn't gone back to school yet.

'Ugh...I don't want to get uuuup...' She thought, but she glanced at the time and realized it was only 6 AM. "Uh...shit..." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She realized that Sasuke wasn't on the bed with her.

"He's probably already at the company..." She muttered and got up to get ready. Just as she was going to walk to her closet, someone knocked on the door.

Sakura walked over, pressed her thumb on the scanner (they analyzed her fingerprints so that she could open the doors), and the door slid open.

It was one of the workers. She bowed to Sakura and smiled at her. "Mistress, the young master has called for me to tell you that you may go back to school today."

"Eh? Why?" Sakura blinked. It was so sudden.

"He said that you're really behind on school work, so he wants you to go today. After he is done with his meeting, he'll meet up with you at school."

Sakura let out a sigh. She really didn't want to see Naruto...but she still has to give him the answer. "Ok, then. I'll get ready. Thank you..."

The worker nodded and turned to go.

"Oh, wait!" Sakura called.

The worker turned back.

"Just calling me Sakura is fine. Please tell the others, too. I'm really not familiar with all this formal stuff." Sakura replied.

"Ah...but it's required for us to-,"

"Please. I'd really appreciate it. You all live here, so you guys are also like family and friends...it'd be nice if you all just call me by my name."

The worker looked at her nervously. "I don't know, Mistress. We've never done that in all our years of working for young master and his parents."

"Well, I'm Sasuke's wife. And you all are employees here, so you must do what I say, right?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yes, but-,"

"Then it's an order. Call me Sakura..." Sakura said bluntly.

The worker hesitated, but she obediently agreed and bowed before taking her leave.

Sakura closed the door and went to get ready.

"Man...I'm kind of nervous. I haven't seen them for over 4 weeks. Ugh, I have to catch up on all the schoolwork, too," Sakura groaned.

"...and I have to tell Naruto my answer..."

* * *

Sasuke just finished with the meeting. He wondered if Sakura went to school yet and called his mom.

"Mom? Yea...did Sakura go to school yet? She just left? Oh, ok then. I just finished the meeting, so I'll go right now." Sasuke hung up and exited the company, going into his car.

'I wonder what she'll say to Naruto. She seems to love him alot, so...she'll probably go back to him.' Sasuke sighed. He's been stressing out lately because of all the work from the company and he hasn't even seen Karin or his friends lately.

"Well, I'm sure Juugo and the others have been going to school these past few weeks. But Karin...I gotta call her later after school."

* * *

Sakura stepped out of the car and smiled widely at the sight of her school.

"Sakura!" Ino's voice came. She saw Ino at the front entrance of the school, waving at her.

Sakura quickly closed the car door and ran over to Ino. "Hey Ino!"

Ino gave her a hug. "Where have you been? I saw you all over the news, the internet, the TV...ugh, you've been enjoying popularity lately! But oh my gosh...I saw your wedding on TV and you and Sasuke kissed! I'm totally convinced that you two are in love, now. And you even announced it on the press conference they held 2 weeks ago! I never knew you could even talk so wisely like that. I promise, I'll have no more doubts about you and Sasuke, anymore."

Sakura nodded, relieved that Ino wasn't going to be suspicious anymore. "So, um...where are the others? And have Sasuke's friends been coming to school?"

"Well, I just got here, so I don't know where they are...but about Sasuke's friends, yea, they've been attending school. They're really popular, lately! And I got my eye on one." Ino winked.

Sakura gasped. She never imagined Ino to start liking one of Sasuke's friends. "Who?"

"Sai." Ino whispered.

"What? Are you serious? I thought you would go for more of those bad-boy types. Sai is really polite and-,"

"That's exactly why I like him! He's such a gentleman..." Ino sighed dreamily.

Sakura's eyesbrows went up in amusement. "Have you two been talking?"

"Ah...well, not really. He just helps me sometimes in class." Ino shrugged. She looked past Sakura's shoulder and saw Sasuke get out of a black car. "Sakura! It's Sasuke!"

Sakura turned around to see Sasuke walking towards her. "Hey." He greeted with a smile.

"What time did you go to the company? I woke up and you weren't there." Sakura asked.

"Around five." Sasuke replied.

"Wow, so early. Aren't you tired?" Sakura crossed her arms.

"Of course I am, stupid," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Ino giggled at them. "Oh, what a cute couple..."

"I know, they are, aren't they?" Two arms came around Sasuke and Sakura's shoulder. They both looked back to see Juugo and the other guys.

"Hey guys! I haven't seen you in 3 weeks!" Sakura smiled happily at them.

"Well, you two were all over the news, so we don't miss you two that much." Suigetsu smirked.

"He's just kidding. In the meantime, we made quite a few friends..." Sai replied, glancing over to Ino.

Sakura noticed this and she let out a small laugh at Ino's blushing face.

"Oh yea!" Suigetsu took out a piece of paper from his pocket. "...the school said that we can't be in the same classes as Sakura anymore. Since we're seniors, we must be in the appropriate classes to study the right subjects."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Sasuke took the paper from Suigetsu and read it. "...yea...that's what this paper says. It has our class schedule for each of us..."

Sakura was about to say something, but the bell suddenly rang.

"I guess we have to go to our own classes, now, then." Ino sighed, feeling a bit down that she won't Sai in her classes anymore.

"We can still see each other through passing periods...and we all have the same lunch time, so see you guys in a few hours!" Suigetsu replied as he skipped off.

"Then we'll take our leave, also." Neji replied as he and the other guys scattered to their own classrooms.

"Come on, Sakura. We're gonna be late." Ino said, pulling on Sakura's arm.

"U...um...see you at lunch, Sasuke." Sakura replied as Ino dragged her away.

"Yea..." Sasuke made a small wave at her. Somehow, he wasn't so thrilled about having different classes than Sakura.

* * *

Sakura tapped her pencil on the desk and constantly glanced at the clock.

"You bored?" Ino leaned over and whispered.

Sakura nodded and let out a sigh. They were in their 3rd period class and lunch was next...but the time was passing by way too slow.

"Uuugh...when is this class gonna be over?" Sakura groaned.

"Why? Wanna see your lovely, dear husband?" Ino teased.

Sakura blushed. "No! I'm...just hungry!"

"Sure, sure." Ino smirked.

* * *

Sasuke stared at the teacher with a bored expression. He looked up at the clock and noticed they had about five minutes left.

"You've been staring at the clock awfully alot," Neji muttered.

"...this class is boring. We've already learned all this anyways." Sasuke shrugged.

"I know. But it's fun going to a public school..."

"It's irritating to me. People are always coming up to me and asking stuff...and girls even ask me to be their boyfriend even though they know I'm married to Sakura."

"What do you expect? You're only still in highschool, so of course girls would want to make a move on you."

"Ugh, whatever. When is this class gonna end?" Sasuke sighed and lay his head on his desk.

"We only have 3 minutes left...you act as if we have an hour left of class." Neji rolled his eyes.

"The time is going by too slow..." Sasuke muttered.

"You just can't wait to see Sakura, don't you?" Neji smirked.

"I never said anything about her!" Sasuke blushed.

"I know. But I can clearly see that you're thinking about her."

* * *

When the bell finally rang for lunch, Sakura sighed in relief.

"Come on, Sakura," Ino quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her along.

"Why are you rushing?" Sakura blinked.

"You know how long the lunch line is! I don't wanna stand there forever." Ino complained.

As they walked through the quad area, Sakura saw Sasuke and the other guys with girls trailing behind them.

"Geez...they really are popular..." Sakura muttered.

"Told you!" Ino giggled.

Sasuke spotted Sakura and he immediately walked over to her.

"Sasuke's coming..." Ino whispered and nudged Sakura.

Sakura gaped. The line of girls were still trailing after them. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw Sasuke's irritated face.

"God damn, these girls are so annoying..." He muttered when he finally reached her. Sakura blushed when he suddenly put his arm around her shoulder...she could hear gasps and whispers in the crowd. "Let's eat lunch together," Sasuke randomly replied and flashed a smile at her.

"Ah...ok..." Sakura murmured as he pulled her along with him. Juugo, the other guys, and Ino followed along, but the crowd of girls remained in a group, squealing at the cuteness of Sasuke and Sakura.

"Wow, you two are really getting along," Suigetsu grinned.

"We have to act like a couple in public, remember?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

When they entered the lunchroom, people immediately cleared the way so they could get in line. Sakura blushed...she felt like a princess.

"These people act as if we're gods or something..." Ino smiled.

'Wow...Sasuke and his friends seem like the princes of this school...' Sakura thought. She glanced up at Sasuke, who still had his arm around her shoulder, and then she peeked back behind her to see Juugo and the others. Somehow...they had this "aura" around them...as if they were the most popular students on campus.

'Well, they kinda are the most popular.' Sakura thought to herself.

When they finally reached the line, people soon offered that they could go first. They ended up being in the front in a matter of a few seconds.

"This is pretty...different." Sakura blinked.

"Hn. You're pretty lucky you're married to me, aren't you?" Sasuke smirked.

"Shut up. These people are so stupid...they should just treat you guys like any normal person." Sakura scoffed.

"Why should they? I'm the heir of the Uchiha Company...I'm already used to all this attention. You better get used to it, too, no matter where you are. You're my wife now, so you''re gonna get the same treatment as me." Sasuke replied and pulled her closer to him.

"Why are you even holding me like this? Let go..." Sakura tried to pry his hand off her shoulder.

"No." Sasuke smirked and wouldn't let go.

"You're always like this whenever we're out in public!" Sakura whispered and glared at him.

Sasuke looked around and noticed that some students were giving them weird looks. "You're so cute," He said loudly and smiled innocently at her.

"What's with you?" Sakura shook her head at him.

"Just act along, ok? I don't want people to be suspicious of us. Besides, you already announced worldwide at the press conference that you..." Sasuke paused for a while. "..._love_ me...so just stick to your words and pretend to be a lovey-dovey wife, ok?" He pinched her cheeks and laughed at the way she pouted.

After they got their lunch, they just all sat at a table outside.

"Soooo...you two seem to have gotten alot closer these days." Suigetsu winked.

"No we haven't." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Now that I think about it...hasn't it been a month since the marriage day?" Juugo raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He took out his phone and checked the calender...and Juugo was right.

One month had already passed by.

* * *

**Whew! Took me a long time to write this chapter!**

**Well, REVIEW and tell me what you think.**

**Next chapter will be up soon & please check out my other stories!**


	15. Unexpected

**Unexpected**

_*Hey guise! :") Here's the next chapter! Read, Enjoy, and Review :)_

* * *

When the bell rang for dismissal, Sasuke quickly got up and walked over to Sakura's class. He didn't want to face crowds of people who wanted to talk to him.

When he reached her class, he saw her coming out of her room and grabbed her hand.

Sakura gasped in surprise. "Sasuke! The bell just rang...how'd you get here so fast?" She blinked.

"Hurry up. I don't want to be surrounded by all those people again..." Sasuke murmured and dragged her along with him.

He sighed in relief when they got out of the school gates. "Geez...I think it'd be better if we both were just home-schooled. This is too troublesome."

"No way! I have friends here, and I'm not gonna leave this school just because it's annoying to you." Sakura glared at him.

"Heeeeey you guuuuys!" Suigetsu's voice came from behind them. Juugo and the others came out of the school building.

Sakura smiled at them, but her mood dropped when she saw Naruto and Hinata.

She quickly turned around, not wanting them to see her.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"...I still need to give Naruto my answer, but I don't know if I can face him yet..." Sakura murmured.

"Hm? What answer?" Suigetsu asked curiously.

"Naruto wanted to get back with her," Sasuke sighed.

Sasuke stared at her and noticed how nervous she looked. "Do you want me to come with you? I'll respect your answer, no matter what you choose, Sakura..."

Sakura gazed up at him and smiled thankfully at him. "Thank you, Sasuke." Slowly, she took his hand and pulled him along with her. She took a deep breath and walked over to Naruto and Hinata.

Juugo and the others stared at them in awe. "Are you sure one of us will win the bet? Because it sure looks like she's more interested in Sasuke than any of us." Neji murmured.

"Yea...it's quite a problem now. But, the condition in their marriage was that there will be no love. Soooo, it's kind of impossible for them," Suigetsu shrugged.

* * *

Naruto spotted Sakura and Sasuke coming towards them. "Sakura..."

Sakura stopped right in front him, looking back and forth from him and Hinata.

Naruto stared down at their hands and noticed how Sakura was holding Sasuke's hand tightly.

"...Sakura...do you have an answer for me, now?" He asked.

Sakura nodded.

Sasuke felt Sakura's hand trembling, so he entangled his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand slightly.

Naruto noticed this, and he glared at Sasuke.

"I don't know if I can forgive you two yet. I just still can't believe you did that to me..." Sakura looked at them sadly.

Hinata looked away in guilt and Naruto averted his eyes from her.

"I appreciate the choice you two gave me, but..." Sakura paused.

"...but I think I'll reject the offer."

Sasuke's eyes widened. He had expected her to say yes and go back to Naruto.

"If I break you two apart, then I'll be doing the same mistake you two have done to me. I don't want revenge...I just can't find it in my heart to forgive you yet. And I'm married to Sasuke now, so...I can't possibly leave him." Sakura replied and stood closer to Sasuke.

"Sakura, even if you say no, can you please...just consider forgiving us? Please?" Naruto pleaded.

Sakura shook her head slowly. "I don't know yet, Naruto..."

"Please, we just want to be your friends again," Hinata looked at her sadly.

Sakura let out a sigh. "...if...you were really my friend, Hinata, then you would've never taken Naruto from me, or you could've at least told me your feelings. And if Naruto really loved me, he would've told me the truth."

Naruto stepped forward and grabbed Sakura's wrist. "Sakura-,"

"Don't touch her." Sasuke suddenly jerked her away from Naruto's grasp.

Sakura blinked at Sasuke in surprise and noticed he look pissed.

"She already gave you her answer and explained her feelings to you. If you two really want to gain her trust again, stop pressuring her." Sasuke glared at them.

Naruto and Hinata stood speechless.

Without another word, Sasuke pulled Sakura with him and walked away.

* * *

"...Sasuke...why are you so mad?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Look, they were getting on my nerves, ok? You already gave them your answer, and they still kept urging you to forgive them. How pathetic..." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. She knew he was just protecting her. "...thank you, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"You know...sometimes, you're actually a nice guy. Thanks again, for always looking out for me." Sakura replied quietly.

Sasuke looked at her and was about to reply, but his phone suddenly rang. He slowly let go her hand and answered it. "Hello? Oh, mom...what is it?...yea...tomorrow? Seriously?...fine, we'll get ready." Sasuke hung up.

"Your mom? What'd she say?" Sakura blinked.

"Unfortunately, they're holding a party tomorrow for congradulating my father's success so far. We have to attend, because our marriage is the main reason why our company didn't shut down. We're gonna have to go tomorrow evening." Sasuke explained.

"Are you serious? My gosh...there's always so much parties, events, press conferences, and all that crap." Sakura sighed.

"Get used to it." Sasuke smirked at her. "It's a formal party, so I'll have my stylists get us some clothes. And it's also public, too, so other people besides the company employees and the media might be there."

"Ugh, wow..." Sakura crossed her arms.

"Oh, and I already called your driver to go home this morning, so you're gonna be coming with me in my car." Sasuke replied as he grabbed her hand and started walking towards the parking lot.

Sakura hesitated, but she slowly glanced back to where Naruto and Hinata were standing. They were gone. She let out a sigh and shook her head. 'There's nothing more to think about anymore. I already gave them my answer."

* * *

When they got in the car, Sasuke remembered that he still had to call Karin. He took out his phone and dialed Karin's number. "...hello? Hey, babe, what are you doing? I haven't seen you for a long time and I miss you..."

Sakura sat in silence as Sasuke chatted on the phone with Karin. 'Ugh. Disgusting.' She thought to herself as she heard Sasuke saying flirty things.

After a while, Sasuke finally hung up. "Good news. Karin's coming to the party tomorrow." He smiled.

"Ok? How is that good news?" Sakura shrugged.

"There'll probably be dancing, so that means that we can dance with other people. If Karin can come tomorrow, then I can spend some time with her without people getting suspicious." Sasuke explained.

"Oh, nice." Sakura replied sarcastically.

"Heh, what? You jealous? You look irritated," Sasuke smirked.

"Why would I be jealous? It's just disgusting to listen to you two being all lovey-dovey..." Sakura scoffed.

"Well, she is my fiancee after all. We only have 2 more months to go, so you gotta bear with it."

"Oh whatever. And if you dance with her tomorrow, then who the hell am I supposed to be with?" Sakura sighed and crossed her arms.

"Juugo and the others should be there, too. You can dance with them. We switch partners on every song so you don't have to worry," Sasuke replied as he put his key in and started the car.

"But wouldn't that mean _**you**_ have to switch partners, too? So you can't dance with Karin the whole time."

"I know. It's fine. At least I could spend some time with her." Sasuke shrugged and drove out the parking lot.

Sakura glanced over at him and saw his happy expression. 'Wow. He's that happy to see Karin, huh?' She rolled her eyes.

* * *

**Sorry it's so short...I was going to include the whole party scene in this chapter, but I'll save the "surprise" for later ;D**

**Anyways, the next chapter will be up soon, so please REVIEW and tell me what you think so far!**


	16. Shock

**Shock  
**

_*Ok, seriously...I know you guys are always anxious and looking forward for the next chapter, but some of you guys are pressuring me too much. _

_I know I take alot of time to update my story, but it's because I have a life, too, ok? -_-_

_It's not like I just sit on the computer 24/7 typing this story...so honestly, I'd appreciate it if you'd just be patient. _

_But overall, thank you to all my readers who support me :)  
_

* * *

Sakura kicked off her shoes in her closet and changed into a simple and plain, black silky dress that reached her knees.

"Uuugh...finally going to school after 3 weeks is so exhausting..." She sighed and jumped onto the bed, snuggling in the comfy pillows.

"That's why I said we should be homeschooled." Sasuke replied when he got out of his closet. He slipped on his black T-shirt and lay on the bed next to her.

"No way! I'm not leaving my friends," Sakura glared at him.

"It's irritating. The reason why I'm homeschooled is because I don't to constantly be surrounded by those nosy people. They never leave me alone...especially all those annoying girls." Sasuke frowned.

Sakura laughed. "Well, what do you expect? You're still their age, and since you're so good looking, of course they'll try to flirt with you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and his lips twitched into a mischievous grrin. "Oho. Did you just admit that you think I'm good looking?"

Sakura blinked...then she realized what she had said. "I didn't mean it like that!" She immediately sat up.

"So then you mean I'm ugly?" Sasuke also sat up and pretended to look hurt.

"Stupid! I don't mean it like that either!"

"So I'm good looking, right?" Sasuke smirked at her.

Sakura blushed. "Will you just shut up? You know what I mean, ok?"

"Well, I think you're pretty good looking, too, Sakura," Sasuke teased.

"You-," Sakura gasped when Sasuke pinned her down on the bed.

"Will you please stop doing this to me? It's so annoying!" Sakura blushed even more and tried to get up, but Sasuke only tightened his grip on her.

"If you don't like it, then why are you blushing? Your cheeks are turning red," Sasuke chuckled.

"Because! It's just weird when you do things like this to me! I bet you would be blushing, too, if I kept getting so close to you like this!" Sakura glared at him and struggled to get out of his hold.

Sasuke wouldn't let go. "Yea right. You don't have the guts to flirt with me like this," He laughed at her pouty expression.

"You're so...so-,"

"I'm so _**what**_, Sa-ku-ra?" Sasuke purred out her name and leaned in.

Sakura froze in place. She hated when he got close to her face. It made her heart beat like crazy.

Sasuke's smile slowly disappeared when he noticed her innocent expression. Then he realized that he leaned in a bit _**too**_ close...their noses were almost touching.

He finally let go of her, but she made no move to struggle away. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her and dared to lean in further. 'Why isn't she pushing me away?'

Sakura laid hypnotized by his eyes. She felt Sasuke loosen his grip on her, but she didn't know why she didn't want to move. As he leaned in closer, Sakura felt the urge to close the gap between them. Hesitantly, she fluttered her eyes closed when Sasuke's forehead touched hers.

Sasuke noticed when she closed her eyes, she was trembling. He smirked.

"Do you _**want**_ me to kiss you?"

Sakura's eyes jerked open. She glared at him. "You're the one who keeps leaning in, so what the hell are you talking about?"

"You know I'm just joking with you. Buuut...if you really want a kiss from me, I'll gladly do it," Sasuke grinned.

"Go to hell." Sakura rolled her eyes and pushed him off of her. She scooted farther away from him and pulled the blankets up to her shoulders. "Now if you could shut up, I want to take a nap. I'm tired."

"I'm tired, too, Sakura. Being the next heir in line for the company, and also going to public school at the same time is more exhausting than you think." Sasuke laid back down next to her.

"So anyways...I was just wondering...why did you answer him that you're not going back to him? I really thought you would."

"Why would you think that?" Sakura turned around to face him.

"Well, because...you always say that you love him and you even admitted that you wanted to be with again." Sasuke shrugged.

"Well...I thought about what you said and I think you're right. Even if I go back to him, things will never be the same again. I don't want to be in a relationship where he doesn't love me wholeheartedly..." Sakura muttered.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. "...do you miss being with him?"

Sakura made a small nod. "The times with him...it was fun...and he made me happy. I honestly thought he'd be the one. I actually imagined myself being married to him, having a family, and all that. But obviously...it was all in my fantasy. Some things are just too good to be true." She took a deep breath and scooted closer to Sasuke.

Sasuke was taken by surprise when Sakura snuggled against him.

"Sorry Sasuke...can I just stay by you for a bit?" Sakura muttered and closed her eyes tightly.

Judging by how her lips were quivering and how she was closing her eyes, Sasuke knew she felt like crying. Slowly, he put his arms around her and pulled her until their bodies were touching.

Sakura hid her face into his shirt and took a deep breath. She didn't want to cry over Naruto anymore. He wasn't worth it.

They lay there together, both not uttering a word.

For some reason, it felt so good to be in his arms. She tensed up when she felt Sasuke kiss her forehead and she fluttered her eyes open to look at Sasuke.

Sakura blushed when he made a gentle smile at her. She never knew Sasuke could make such a loving expression.

She quickly lowered her head and closed her eyes again. 'Why is he looking at me like that?'

Sasuke couldn't help but smile at her innocence. And he admitted...he liked hugging her like this. She fitted perfectly against him.

After a while of quietness, Sasuke looked back down at her and noticed she was already asleep.

"Hn...what a weird girl...falling asleep so quick like that."

* * *

Fugaku set his pen down and sighed in relief.

"Are you done? I'm going to head home." He replied to Mikoto, who just got done filing the paperwork.

"Yes, I'm done. Oh, by the way, Sasuke already took care of the meeting you had to attend this morning, so you don't have to call that company back."

"That's good. Did you see the arrangements for tomorrow's party?" Fugaku got up from his office chair walked towards the door.

Mikoto followed after him. "Yes, the decorations and the schedule for it has been set already."

"Good. What about the song selections for Sasuke and Sakura's dance?"

"A few songs have been selected already."

"Good. Then everything should go smoothly."

Mikoto grinned. "It sure will, honey. Let's just hope they share a kiss in front of everyone!"

* * *

Naruto and Hinata sat quietly in the car in front of Hinata's house.

Naruto still couldn't believe that Sakura said no. He honestly thought she would come back to him.

Hinata glanced over at him and noticed his troubled expression.

"Naruto...did you_ want_ her to say yes?"

Naruto looked at her in surprise, but he couldn't find himself to say no. "...um...I..."

Hinata let out a sigh and stared down sadly at her lap. "You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

Naruto couldn't say no to that either.

"Naruto, is it better if we breakup anyway?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, because...I clearly saw how jealous you were when you saw Sasuke and Sakura holding hands. And I know that you still liked her when you started dating me...that's why you never told her about us. If you still have feelings for her even now...then I don't think I can take it." Hinata replied before opening the car door and stepping out.

"Hinata!" Naruto also got out of the car and followed after her. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Don't do this to me. The one I like right now is you-,"

"I know that. But how do you expect me to stay with you if I know that you still have a part of you that still loves Sakura?" Hinata stared at him, shaking her head.

"...Hinata...I've been with her for a year...I just can't forget my feelings for her so soon. Please understand my situation..." Naruto pleaded her and loosened his grip on her wrist.

"Well, you've been with me for a year, too. You could've used that time to try and forget her." Hinata jerked her arm away from him.

"Damnit, it's not that easy, Hinata!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed.

Hinata's eyes widened. He never yelled at her like that before.

"You just can't expect me to forget her so easily. She was the first person I've ever loved-,"

"So why did you leave her?" Hinata interrupted.

Naruto stood speechless.

Hinata looked at him sadly before turning to go.

Naruto stood there, watching her walk away. 'I can't loose her, too...' Without another thought, he quickly followed her again and suddenly hugged her from behind.

"...because I fell in love with you."

Hinata stayed quiet for a few moments. "...is your love for me stronger than your love for her-,"

"Yes, it is. That's why I'm with you right now...not her." Naruto turned her around so that she faced him.

"...really?" Hinata doubted.

Naruto gave her a gentle kiss and nodded. "Really..."

* * *

Sasuke ended falling asleep also. When he woke up, it was already 7 PM.

He blinked when he felt something against him. He then remember that Sakura was sleeping in his arms.

Sasuke got up slowly, careful not to disturb her. He froze when Sakura stirred a bit, but he sighed in relief when she didn't wake up.

Sasuke stared at her face a smile. He would never get tired of seeing her sleeping face...she always looked so peaceful and beautiful...just like an angel.

'Ah...shit. My parents are probably home already...' Sasuke took one last glance at Sakura before getting off the bed. He stretched a bit and straightened out his outfit before scanning his thumb to open the door.

Sasuke ran downstairs and found his parents sitting in the living room.

"Hey, honey! Where's Sakura?" Mikoto smiled at him.

"Oh, we just took a nap after school. She's still asleep upstairs." Sasuke replied and plopped down on the couch.

"Did you get everything ready for tomorrow's party?" Fugaku asked.

"Yea. I'm all set. All I need is our outfits, so my stylists will come tomorrow morning before the party."

"Oh! And we have a special dance for you and Sakura at the end of the party...because since your marriage helped the company's status, we're dedicating the last dance to you two." Mikoto chirped happily.

Sasuke gaped. "What? Why? You know Sakura isn't used to being in front of so many people. She's so nervous, but she does her best to try and fit in our family. I don't think dancing in front of all those people would be a good idea...she doesn't even know how to dance."

"Well, you can teach her." Fugaku smirked.

"We don't have the time. The party is tomorrow." Sasuke shook his head.

"That's even better! She'll be dancing with plenty of other men, so she'll be pretty good by the time of the last dance." Mikoto grinned.

"Are you sure...?" Sasuke doubted.

"I hope she will be."

"You guys are putting too much pressure on her." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"She'll have to know how to handle it. And besides, you'll be there to help her." Fugaku replied.

"Well, I think she's doing fine. She's not used to being the wife of the next heir in line of a huge company, but I love how she's trying very hard to help us. She's done an excellent job in this past week, so I think she'll be a fine lady by the time Sasuke takes over the company." Mikoto said proudly.

Sasuke smirked. His mother really loved Sakura. 'Well...I guess she's right. Sakura's been doing really good lately...'

* * *

_...Next morning..._

Sakura woke up in bed to see a rack full of clothes.

_"_What the...?" She fluttered her eyes and sat up.

"Hurry up and get dressed. We're gonna leave for the party at noon." Sasuke said just as he came out of his closet.

"What's with all these new clothes?" Sakura muttered sleepily.

"I told you that my stylists were going to bring some outfits. Choose a dress from that rack and get ready." Sasuke replied as he put on his tie.

"Ugh...so early." Sakura snuggled back into her blanket.

"It's not early. It's already eleven o'clock. Hurry up." Sasuke glared at her.

"I don't want toooo. I thought the party was going to be later tonight...not in the morning..." Sakura yawned.

"Well, too bad. It's in the morning." Sasuke turned back to his closet and chose a pair of elegant black shoes. "Sakura, get up."

Sakura ignored him.

Sasuke put on his shoes and sighed. "Sakura...I'm gonna count to three."

"I don't care..." Sakura mumbled.

"One." Sasuke started.

Sakura didn't stir.

"...two."

Sakura still didn't bother to get up.

"Two and a half..." Sasuke crossed his arms.

Sakura didn't even budge.

"Alright. You asked for it. Three." Sasuke replied.

Sakura shrieked when she felt a pair of arms go under her and lifted her up from the bed. "Sasuke! Let go!"

"Nope. Until you agree to get ready right now, I'm gonna keep carrying you." Sasuke smirked.

"Ok, ok! I'll get ready! Geez..." Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke gently put her down and laughed. "Hurry up. Be downstairs in 30 minutes."

"What? Thirty minutes? I need at least an hour to do hair and makeup, too!"

"Too bad. It's your fault for waking up late." Sasuke shrugged and walked over to the door and left the room before she could reply.

"Ugh...he's so...ugh!"

* * *

Sasuke ended up waiting for an hour anyways. "That damn brat..." He let out a frustrated sigh. "Why is she taking so long?"

He heard high heels clacking and finally saw Sakura running down the stairs.

"Stupid! Don't run down the stairs with heels!" Sasuke scolded and walked over to her.

"I'm fine! It's not like I'm gonna fall or anything-," Sakura gasped when she tripped over the last stair step.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he quickly caught her before she hit the ground. "That's exactly what's gonna happen." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, shut up, It's not my fault that you guys make me wear like 5 inch high heels." Sakura pushed him away.

"Anyways, do I look good enough?"

Sasuke stepped back and looked at her up and down. She was wearing a white halter/cocktail dress that came to her knees and had a bow to tie at the back. The middle of the dress tightened up to push up her breasts and showed her curves perfectly.

"Yea, it looks good." He smiled at her.

Sakura smiled back and sighed in relief.

"Now come on. My parents already left to greet the early guests." Sasuke grabbed her hand and dragged her along.

"There's gonna be alot of people again, right?" Sakura asked.

"Of course."

Sasuke opened the car door for her and closed it when she got in. He quickly ran over to his side and started the car.

"Neji just called me a few minutes ago. They're arriving over at the party in ten minutes." Sasuke replied.

"Uh huh...and what about Karin?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"She texted me earlier and said she'll be there in a bit...why do you wanna know?" He smirked.

"I'm just asking, ok?" Sakura glared at him.

"Really? Or are you wishing she doesn't come so that you can have me all to yourself?" Sasuke grinned and nudged at her.

"Ew! I can't believe you just said that!" Sakura pretended to gag.

Sasuke chuckled at her disgusted face.

"You are such an asshole, seriously." Sakura crossed her arms.

"Don't deny the fact that you're jealous of Karin." Sasuke teased.

"Jealous? Of her! Why the hell would I be jealous?"

"Oh, face it. Because she has me, and since you like me, you're jealous of her."

"What the...? Who said I ever liked you? If you were the last male on earth, I still wouldn't fall in love with you!" Sakura glared at him.

"Heh, if you were the last female on earth, I wouldn't fall in love with you either," Sasuke shrugged.

"Good!" Sakura scoffed and looked out the window.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile at her attitude. She was so easy to mess with.

Sakura sat quietly with her arms crossed, looking out the window.

There was nothing but silence as Sasuke drove to the party.

* * *

"When are they gonna be here?" Mikoto sighed anxiously.

"They're probably coming right now." Fugaku reassured her.

"But everyone's here already. They're 20 minutes late!" Mikoto whispered and looked at the crowd.

"Don't worry, they'll-," Fugaku was cut off as the door swung open to reveal Sasuke and Sakura.

"...be here." He finished and smirked at Mikoto.

Sakura smiled when the cameras started flashing. "It's been over a month. Why are they still taking our pictures as if we're a new couple or something?" She muttered to Sasuke.

"There's gonna be cameras no matter how the situation is, Sakura." Sasuke replied quietly as he guided her through the crowd, trying to reach his parents.

"What took you guys so long?" Mikoto asked.

"Sorry...Sakura woke up late."

"I'm sorry for making everyone wait." Sakura apologized and bowed her head.

"It's fine. As long as you guys are here, then we can start the party." Fugaku replied and turned to face the crowd.

"I'm sorry for the little delay. My son and daughter-in-law are here now, so the party officially starts now. Help yourselves to food, drinks, dancing, and enjoy your afternoon." Fugaku announced.

Sakura was taken by surprise when some music suddenly came on. She watched as people started to scatter to their own conversations and some people were already walking over to the dancefloor.

"Do you want to go dance first?" Sasuke asked.

"Um...I want to eat a few snacks first. We didn't eat breakfast." Sakura mumbled.

Sasuke laughed. "Of course, fatty."

"You're so rude!" Sakura glared at him.

"Shh...watch your mouth. You have to act proper." Sasuke held her hand, taking her with him to the food table.

Sakura was about to reach for a strawberry, but someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around to see Suigetsu grinning at her and the other guys beside him.

"Hey Sakura!" He greeted.

"Oh, hey guys!" Sakura smiled at them.

"You look hot, as always." Juugo winked.

"Ahaha...yea..." Sakura replied awkwardly.

"Why'd you two show up so late?" Sai asked.

"Sakura was being a lazyass, so she woke up late." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Sakura just glared at him.

"Well...since you two are here...Sasuke, you wouldn't mind I have the first dance with Sakura, would you? Please?" Suigetsu looked at Sasuke with puppy eyes.

"You all can dance with her all you want. I gotta go find Karin anyway," Sasuke shrugged.

"Really? Oho, then I can't wait my turn." Juugo had a perverted expresson on.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her, though." Sasuke said seriously.

"Oh? Getting a little protective, huh?" Neji smirked.

"I'm not. It's just that the media and the paparazzi are here also, so don't do anything weird." Sasuke warned before walking away to find Karin.

Sakura stood awkwardly with all five of the guys staring at her.

"So? May I have this dance?" Suigestu held out his hand to her.

Sakura hesitated, but she took his hand.

"I'm totally winning this bet, you guys," Suigetsu winked at the other guys.

"What bet?" Sakura blinked.

"Oh, nothing." Suigetsu shook his head and pulled her with him to the dancefloor.

"Ah...but I don't know how to dance..." Sakura muttered.

"It's alright. Step on my shoes."

"What? They'll get dirty! And I'm wearing high heels, so-,"

"It's fine. Just step on my shoes." Suigetsu urged on.

"Well...why?" Sakura blinked.

"Just do it."

Sakura pouted, but she obeyed. She stepped closer to him and put her feet on top of his. Surprisingly, he was still taller than her.

Suigetsu held her hand and with the other hand, he held her waist, pulling her closer.

Sakura blushed at how close they were.

"Don't worry. Just relax..." Suigetsu started moving his feet.

Sakura felt like she was on a cloud. She was dancing...but at the same time, she wasn't. She averted her eyes down to her feet, which were on his, and tried to mesmorize his steps. If she was going to dance with the other guys, too, she might as well learn now.

* * *

Sasuke finally found Karin near a group of middle-aged men.

"Karin," He tapped her shoulder and smiled at her when she turned around.

"Sasuke!" Karin was about to hug him, but he stopped her.

"Not here..." He whispered.

"Oh. Right..." Karin laughed and stepped back.

"When did you get here?"

"Since this morning. Why were you and Sakura so late?"

"She overslept." Sasuke shrugged.

"Oh, I see." Karin giggled.

"So...since the media is here, we can't really do anything but dance. You want to?" Sasuke held out his hand to her.

"Of course." Karin smiled happily and took his hand.

They both walked over to the dancefloor and started to slowdance.

"It's been a whole month. This whole marriage thing is really pissing me off, you know. I don't get to see you anymore..." Karin stared at him sadly.

"I know. I'm sorry...I've been so busy lately, so I never had the chance to meet up with you. It's fine, though, right? We can have our time here." Sasuke put this forehead on hers.

"But it's not enough. We only get to dance for a little while." Karin frowned.

"I'll see if I can clear my schedule tomorrow for you. If I can, then I'll come over to your house."

"Really? Aw, thank you, sweetie..." Karin leaned up to kiss him, but he turned away.

"Remember, not here." Sasuke reminded her.

"Oh, yea. I'm sorry. I just really miss you, and when I finally get to see you, I don't even get a kiss." Karin pouted.

"Maybe later." Sasuke said while twirling her.

"Fine. But you owe me."

* * *

When Sakura danced with Sai, she was still struggling, but he was patient enough to guide her carefully through the steps.

When it was Juugo's turn, Sakura was having a difficult time concentrating on dancing since all Juugo could talk about was him and her in bed...and...yea.

It was Neji's turn now.

'Ok. I think I have the steps down.' Sakura took a deep breath.

"You look beautiful today." Neji complimented as he placed a kiss on her hand.

"Th...thank you..." Sakura blushed.

Neji held her waist and pulled her closer to him. Their bodies were nearly touching.

Sakura gulped. Her face was right by his neck...she could hear him breathing in her ear and it sent shivers through down her spine.

"Hn. Are you nervous?" Neji's lips cracked into a small smile.

"Uh...just a little...I'm really not used to all this yet..." Sakura murmured.

"You'll be just fine." Neji reassured her.

A new song started, and they started dancing.

Sakura carefully moved along with Neji, carefull to not mess up.

"Oh? You're quite good at dancing, aren't you?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"I was just memorizing the steps when I danced with the other guys." Sakura replied.

"Well, you're excellent for a beginner." Neji once again complimented her.

Sakura gasped when she took a step forward when she wasn't supposed to, and almost stepped on his shoe. "Aha...not that good."

"It's ok. It's not that hard, you'll get better." Neji encouraged.

"Thank you." Sakura found herself smiling at him.

After a few minutes, the song ended.

"I'll take it from here," Gaara walked up to Neji.

"Of course...but don't get so cocky, Gaara. I'll be the one to win the bet," Neji smirked before walking away.

"What is this 'bet' that you guys keep talking about?" Sakura blinked.

Gaara grabbed her hand and dragged her to him. "You don't have to know."

"But, I'm curious. Can you tell me?" Sakura pleaded.

"Nope." Gaara bluntly replied.

Sakura frowned and averted her eyes away from him.

"Heh. You really are childish. If you don't get something you want, you'll put on that pouty face." Gaara smirked.

"What? I am not-," She gasped when the song started and Gaara suddenly took a step back, pulling her forward harshly.

"Shut up and just dance with me." Gaara muttered huskily in her ear.

Damn. It doesn't matter how many times he did that, Sakura still got chills.

* * *

Sasuke danced with a few other girls, but he finally got to dance with Karin again.

"Wouldn't it be weird if the media saw you dancing with me twice?" Karin asked.

"Nah. They probably won't notice." Sasuke shrugged.

"Well then, try to sneak a third dance with me, ok?" Karin winked at him.

"I'll try." Sasuke nodded.

"It's so fun dancing with you. Ugh...I wish we had more time together. I would love to dance with you all day..." Karin laid her head on his chest and danced slower.

"Me too, Karin." Sasuke smiled.

"By the way, you better not get close to Sakura. I'll be mad if you end up having some feelings for her." Karin warned.

"Heh. Feelings for her? Why would I ever?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Hm. Speaking of her...she's dancing with Gaara over there..." Karin pointed.

Sasuke looked to where she was pointing and saw Sakura and Gaara dancing.

"Oh, yea. I told her to dance with my friends." Sasuke replied.

"That's a good idea...so you don't have to dance with her right?" Karin laughed.

"Ah, yea." Sasuke nodded blankly.

But somehow, he couldn't get his eyes off of them.

* * *

The song they were dancing too was longer than expected.

"It's been six minutes already. Normal songs are usually just 3 to 4 minutes." Sakura sighed.

"Hn. Why? You don't want to dance with me anymore?" Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, no. I didn't mean it like that! I meant, this song is just a little long-,"

"That's good, right?" Gaara made a small smile and leaned in closer to her.

Sakura moved her head back and looked away shyly. She hated it whenever he got so close to her.

"Are you nervous when you're with me?" Gaara unexpectedly asked.

"U..um...kind of. Well, I'm pretty much nervous with all of you-,"

"But I'm guessing I'm the one who makes you more nervous than all of them, judging by the fact that whenever you're with me, you seem to be at lost for words."

"I'm just not used to being in close contact with boys that I really don't know." Sakura replied quietly, still not daring to look at him.

"Well, you can be more comfortable around me if we get to know each other better." Gaara paused and leaned down to her ear. "...since this marriage is fake, there's no wrong in talking to other guys, Sakura."

"W...what?" Sakura blushed.

"I'd like to give it a try with you. Starting off as friends is fine with me, but let me tell you something." Gaara pulled back a few strands of hair, tucking them gently behind her ear. "What I said a month ago to you wasn't a lie. I might just steal you from Sasuke, and I won't give up until you're mine."

Sakura couldn't believe he just said that. This guy, whom she only met like four or five times in her life, is already confessing to her that he wants to go out with her. What. The. Hell.

"Um...I'm sorry Gaara. I barely know you, so-,"

"That's why I said we can just start out as friends. It's fine, right?"

Sakura didn't know what to say. Sure, she admitted he was attractive, good looking, and she isn't going to deny that he made her heart race, but...she just wasn't positive about the whole situation.

"Sakura. Look at me."

Sakura could feel her cheeks getting hot. Slowly, she turned her head to face and looked up at his captivating mint-green eyes.

"Are you going to answer me?" Gaara smirked.

"I...I don't know...I-," Sakura paused when Gaara started to lean in again. He put his forehead on hers and closed his eyes.

"You know...I've never met a girl like you. You're really interesting..."

Sakura was about to respond, but the song finally stopped.

* * *

When the song stopped, Sasuke didn't even care that Karin was there anymore.

He kept his eyes on Sakura and Gaara the whole time, and he wasn't exactly happy at what he saw.

"Sasuke? You ok?" Karin raised an eyebrow.

Sasuke didn't bother to answer her. He let go of her and walked over to Gaara and Sakura.

Gaara slowly let go of Sakura's waist, but he kept holding her hand.

"Sakura."

Sasuke's voice tore Sakura's gaze away from Gaara.

Sakura quickly snatched away her hand from Gaara's, seeing Sasuke's pissed face.

"Time's up, Gaara. My turn to have the last dance with my _**wife**_." Sasuke glared at Gaara before dragging Sakura with him.

"Sasuke, that was rude! And...can you be a little gentler? People are staring, and you're hurting me..." Sakura winced when he only tightened his grasp on her wrist.

Sasuke stopped and turned to face her. A few people were staring, but he didn't care. He saw the media in a corner, busy talking to his parents, so there's no big deal. He turned his attention back to Sakura just when another song started.

"What the hell was that? Whenever you're with him, you two always seem as if you like each other. Why are you always blushing when you're with him?" Sasuke glared at her.

"Because! He kept getting close to me, so I just kept getting nervous, and...and he isn't that bad of a guy, you know." Sakura muttered.

"I told you to be careful in public. All these people saw you two looking all lovey-dovey and-,"

"It's not like that! Besides, why are you getting so mad for? It's none of your business if I talk to a guy or not-,"

"Yes it is my business! You're my goddamn wife, Sakura!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Why are you using that lame excuse? Just because we're legally married, doesn't mean that you meddle with who I talk to or anything like that!" Sakura argued back.

"Shut up! From now on, you're not allowed to talk to him, you got it?"

"How can you tell me that? You don't own me!" Sakura tried to jerk away her wrist from his grasp, but he wouldn't let go.

"You're mine, Sakura!" Sasuke suddenly blurted out without thinking.

"No I'm not! You act as if I belong to you-,"

Sakura didn't get to finish as Sasuke, without warning, leaned down and crashed his lips on hers.

* * *

**I hope that this satisfies your anger towards waiting for such a long time :)**

**REVIEW.  
**


	17. So Maybe I Am Jealous

**So Maybe I Am Jealous  
**

_*Here's the next chapter! Enjoy :)_

* * *

Karin watched in disbelief.

Gaara and the other guys had their eyes wide open in surprise.

The media and paparazzi eventually found their way through the crowd and began taking pictures like crazy.

Everyone was pretty much staring at them now.

Sakura stood frozen, unable to make a move.

Sasuke's lips lingered on hers for a little longer more before he pulled back.

Sakura looked at him with a shocked expression.

No one moved. No one said a word. Everything was silent.

Sasuke didn't even know why he did that.

Sakura didn't know what to do...and she did the only thing that crossed her mind. Everyone gasped when she slapped him.

Sakura didn't bother to say anything. She walked through the crowd, pushing away the paparazzi so she could get through.

Sasuke only watched as she stormed out the door, running away.

* * *

Sakura called for a cab and quickly got in before the paparazzi reached her.

"To the Uchiha mansion on the 5th street please," Sakura replied.

The driver nodded and drove away before the paparazzi could reach the car.

Sakura sighed in relief and leaned back on the seat. She raised her trembling fingers and touched her lips...she could still feel the warmth of Sasuke's lips against hers.

'He kissed me...' Sakura was angry and shocked, but she didn't entirely hate it.

'Why did he kiss me? And in front of everyone, too...' She sighed and looked down at her lap.

Her heart was beating so fast and she didn't know how she would face Sasuke when he and his parents got home.

'Ugh, damn it. It's probably gonna be all over TV and the newspaper tomorrow...I even slapped him.'

Sakura closed her eyes tightly, trying to get rid of the image of Sasuke kissing her. It replayed again and again.

'Why did he do that? I don't get it! Was he...jealous?'

* * *

Fugaku and Mikoto ended up canceling the party. Fugaku had to call up the guards and security to get rid of the media from taking so much pictures.

"Everything is ruined! We just got things back together, and now everything is going to fall apart again!" Fugaku exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, father. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't lose my temper." Sasuke apologized.

"Do you realize how much problems this will cause the company? Everything that happened today will be on tomorrow's news! Why the hell were you two even fighting in front of all these people? She even slapped you in front of the cameras!"

"Dear, calm down. I will schedule a press conference so that we can settle this problem." Mikoto said gently, trying not to provoke his anger even more.

"What will we say to them? Make up a story? How the hell are we supposed to explain this to them?" Fugaku glared at her.

Mikoto sighed and pushed Sasuke aside gently. "Sasuke...go home and makeup with Sakura. I'll try to calm your father down."

Sasuke hesitated, but he silently obeyed and exited the room.

He honestly didn't know how he'll face Sakura.

* * *

Gaara left right after Sakura ran out, so he was already at Sasuke's house, figuring that that was the only place Sakura would go to.

He saw a taxi coming up to the front gates of the house and when he saw Sakura step out of the taxi, he immediately got out of his car.

Sakura closed the car door, turned around and gasped when she saw Gaara.

"Gaara...? What are you doing here? You were just at the party a few minutes ago."

"I left right after you ran out. Are you ok?"

Sakura made a small nod. "...just kind of shocked, but yea...I'm ok..."

"Why'd you slap him? I didn't think kissing would be a problem for you two since you two kissed at the wedding, right?" Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Because! He did it so unexpectedly, and in front of so many people, too...and...and we didn't even really kiss at the wedding."

"You didn't kiss at the wedding?" Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"No...he just kissed me by the cheek..." Sakura muttered.

"Ah, so that was your first real kiss from him, huh?".

"Y...yea..." Sakura blushed.

"...hm...anyways...sorry." He suddenly apologized.

Sakura blinked. "What for?"

"It was probably my fault that Sasuke got mad. Since he saw us, he probably got jealous-,"

"I don't think he would get jealous...besides...this marriage can't be based on love."

"Well, since no one's here..." Gaara paused for a while. "...don't you want to try going out with me?"

Sakura blushed again and averted her eyes. "Like I said, I can't maintain a relationship while being married to Sasuke at the same time."

"Oh? So you can't do it, but you _want_ to, right?" Gaara smirked.

"I didn't mean it like that either! Look, Gaara, you're a very nice guy, but I don't know you enough to start a relationship with you." Sakura turned to go, but Gaara quickly grabbed her wrist.

"That's why I keep telling you that we start off as friends."

Sakura let out a sigh. "..._just_ friends?"

Gaara nodded.

"Then promise me you won't get so close to me, or touch me, or flirt with me, ok?"

Gaara looked at her, slightly irritated, but he agreed. "That's no fun, but fine."

"...um...so, can you let me go now-," Sakura stopped when she heard a car coming up to the gates.

They both turned to see Sasuke get out of the car...and when Sasuke saw them, too, Sakura knew she was in big trouble.

Sasuke froze once he saw how Gaara was holding Sakura's wrist. 'What the hell...?' Wasting no time, he quickly walked over to them and harshly pulled Sakura away.

"Stop touching her." He glared at Gaara.

"Hn. This marriage isn't real, so why are you getting so worked up for?" Gaara glared right back at him.

Sasuke didn't answer him and just dragged Sakura with him, proceeding to go inside the mansion.

"I thought this marriage wasn't based on love. Why are you so jealous, Sasuke?" Gaara urged on.

Sasuke stopped, turned around, and scoffed at him. "Heh...you think I'm jealous? I just don't think it'd be good for publicity if my wife is seen with another man. It's already bad enough that the earlier situation was caught on cameras...I don't want anymore trouble from you."

"I don't care about your publicity, Sasuke-,"

"Shut up! We've been friends for so many years...it'd be good if you know where you stand in this company and in our friendship, Gaara. Don't threaten me." Sasuke hissed and pulled Sakura with him inside the house and slammed the door shut.

Gaara stared at the ground and shoved his hands into his pockets. "...but it seems you keep putting your company, your fame, and your publicity over our friendship, Sasuke...it's as if our friendship isn't as important."

* * *

Sasuke let go of Sakura and let out a frustrated sigh."Why are you always around him?"

"Why? Am I not allowed? Am I your property?" Sakura glared at him.

"Yes, you are, Sakura! Damn it, we are married, so you belong to me!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Why do you keep saying that? Why did you even kiss me! ?" Sakura yelled back, blushing at her own words.

Sasuke stayed quiet, recalling the kiss he had forced on her earlier. "...you were making me angry. It was the only way I could get you to shut up."

Sakura couldn't believe this. He only kissed her to shut her up? "Damn it, Sasuke...you really are an asshole, you know?" She shook her head at him and slowly turned around, making her way towards the stairs.

"Well, what did you expect from that kiss?" Sasuke dared to ask.

Sakura stopped walking. She hesitated for a moment and looked down at the glass-tiled floor. "I thought you were jealous when you saw me with him..." She muttered and continued her way up the steps.

Sasuke clenched his fists as he took a few steps forward.

"...then...what if I say I really was jealous?"

* * *

**Yes, a very short chapter, but hopefully it contained enough drama to satisfy you :)**

**Anyways, REVIEW and tell me how you like it so far!  
**


	18. Changing Rules: Fair and Square

**Changing Rules: Fair and Square  
**

_*Here's the next chapter! Enjoy :)_

* * *

Sakura couldn't believe it. Sasuke just admitted that he was jealous!

Slowly, she turned around to face him. "...you were jealous?"

"Do I really have to repeat myself?" He looked at her with an irritated expression.

"But I don't get why. You said this marriage can't have any love in it, so why are you getting mad when you see me with another guy?"

"...I don't know. I'm just a bit confused right now, ok?" He let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair.

"Sasuke, if you don't like seeing me with Gaara...then I suggest you do the same thing. I don't want you to see Karin." Sakura replied hesitantly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Why can't I see Karin? She's my real fiancee and-,"

"Well maybe it bothers me, too! If I can't meet up with other guys then you can't meet up with other girls. It's not fair." Sakura ran upstairs before Sasuke could reply.

* * *

Sakura kicked off her high heels and didn't even bother to change out of her dress. She plopped down on the bed and snuggled into her pillow.

"He was...jealous..." Sakura blushed. She didn't expect him to actually admit that he was. 'So...does that mean that he kind of likes me...?' Sakura quickly shook that thought away. "Of course he wouldn't have feelings for me. This marriage can't be based on love..." Sakura muttered; but for some reason...she kind of hoped he did like her.

After a while of silence, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Sasuke came in a few minutes later, loosening his tie. He stared at her and smiled at how she didn't even change her dress. He figured he didn't feel like changing either. He took off his shoes and set them nicely in the closet, then hung his tie by his shirts. Quietly, he crept on the bed and laid down next to her.

Sasuke slowly reached for Sakura and gently caressed her cheek. He ran his thumb across her lips and his mind flashed back to when he kissed her. Honestly...he didn't know why he did it. He just acted without thinking, and he was too angry to realize the situation they were in.

But although everyone saw it, although it'll probably be on the news tomorrow, even though she slapped him...he didn't entirely hate it.

He knew he wasn't supposed to have feelings for Sakura. He knew this marriage was fake. He knew that he still loved Karin, but...there was a possibility that any of those things didn't really matter anymore.

"Sakura...you're making me go crazy..." He whispered and put his forehead on hers. He loved how she breathed softly while she slept and how she looked so peaceful, as if there were no worries in the world.

"Maybe...I do have some feelings for you..."

* * *

Karin sat on the couch, fuming over how Sasuke kissed Sakura right in front of her.

"I can't believe he did that. I can't believe he would do that right in my face!" Karin frowned.

She crossed her arms and let out an irritated sigh. "It's all that slut's fault."

'That's right...from the moment she entered Sasuke's life, he barely pays any attention to me anymore. It's all her fault!'

Karin got up and started to pace back and forth, thinking deeply. "...she's going to take him away from me. Since he kissed her, it already means he's getting attached..."

"I have to get rid of her. No matter what it takes, I have to make her disappear from Sasuke's life before the 3 months are over. She will definitely not take Sasuke away from me."

She stopped pacing when she finally thought of something.

And slowly, an evil smile crept onto her face.

"I'll make Sasuke_ hate_ her."

* * *

Gaara received a text from Neji that the other guys were playing basketball near Sakura's school.

He drove up to the basketball court and saw the others shooting some hoops.

"Aye, Gaara!" Suigestu waved at him.

Gaara walked over to them and Juugo passed the ball to him.

"So? Whats up?" Gaara replied as he set the ball down and took his shirt off.

"Ah...just wanted to hangout and talk about earlier. You just ran off after Sakura left. Man...that was pretty awkward, though. I never expected Sakura to slap him." Sai sighed.

"I know right! That surprised me, too! I was really shocked that Sasuke even kissed her in the first place!" Suigetsu agreed.

"I thought they already kissed before, at the wedding...so why did Sakura look so surprised?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"They never kissed at the wedding." Gaara replied and picked up the ball again, shooting it in the hoop. "...I waited for her at Sasuke's house. When she came, I asked her if she was ok and why'd she slap him...she said Sasuke only kissed her on the cheek at the wedding. So that kiss earlier was her first kiss from Sasuke, and plus, Sasuke did it out of no where."

"You went after her?" Suigetsu blinked.

"Yea. Just to check if she was ok." Gaara shrugged.

"That's...so unlike you. Maybe this whole bet thingy is making you really like Sakura." Neji muttered.

"Hn. Isn't that the whole point of this bet?" Gaara smirked as he picked up the ball and shot it again.

"Oh? So you admit it?"

"She catches my attention. I guess you could say I'm crushing on her a little," Gaara made a small smile.

"Eeeeh? What is this? I never thought Gaara would be the first one out of all of us to actually start liking her!" Suigetsu gaped.

"Who cares. I'm winning this bet!" Juugo argued.

"What makes you so sure?" Neji glared at him.

"You guys are exaggerating. I'm totally winning this." Sai rolled his eyes.

"Hell no! I'm the one who started this bet!" Suigetsu exclaimed as he got the ball off the ground.

"Well then, you all better step it up." Gaara stole the ball from Suigestu and shot his third hoop. "...because she's already agreed to start out as friends with me. If we progress further, you guys are definitely not winning this bet."

"That's not faiiir!" Suigetsu wined and glared at him.

"You never said anything about being fair."

"Whatever. Let's just see how it turns out. Gaara, you better not be interested in her too much...she might end up liking someone else and you'll get your little heart broken." Neji tapped his chest lightly.

"Hn. You act as if you're gonna win. I could say the same thing to you."

"Ok, ok. Seriously, guys. If this bet gets out of hand to the point where our friendship is gonna fall apart, then we gotta stop, ok?" Sai sighed.

"...Fine. But none of are backing down."

"That's fine with me, too. Bros before hoes, right?" Juugo grinned.

"Heh, so you're calling Sakura a hoe?" Sai chuckled.

Juugo's smile slowly disappeared when he realized what he said. "Oh, shit. My bad! I didn't mean it like that."

The other guys laughed at him.

"He's right, though. We've been friends for more than 10 years, so no way am I gonna destroy this friendship over a single girl. So, I'm changing up the rules a bit!" Suigetsu clamped his hands together. "We're gonna play it fair and square! Since Gaara's one step ahead of us, he can't contact Sakura until we've all reached the same relationship with Sakura as him."

Gaara looked at him, irrited. "What? Then how is that fair for me?"

"Oh come on, give us little head start, too!" Suigetsu pleaded.

Gaara was about to object, but Suigestu made puppy eyes and quivered his lips at him. "Tch...so annoying...fine."

"Thanks Gaara!" Suigestu beamed happily.

"Ah...so anyways...you guys called me here to hangout so let's play some basketball. Neji's on my side. We go against you, Sai, and Juugo."

"What? But you two are better at basketball, so trade Neji with one of us-,"

"No." Gaara smirked as he got the ball and passed it to Neji.

* * *

**SHORT SHORT chapter, buuuuuut the next chapter will be long, so look forward to it! :)**

**So REVIEW and tell me what you think so far. Thanks.  
**


	19. Confused Feelings

**Confused Feelings  
**

_*Here's the next chapter! As I said, I'll make this chapter longer to makeup for the chapter before. So enjoy! :)  
_

* * *

As expected, Sasuke and Sakura were all over the news.

Fugaku slammed down the newspaper on the coffee table. They were on the _front_ page, too!

"...we have to do something about this."

"Like I said, we should plan a press conference to explain-,"

"Explain what? If anyone is going to explain, it should be Sasuke and Sakura. They're the ones causing all this!" Fugaku let out a stressed sigh and leaned back into the couch.

'It's a good thing he stayed home from the company today...' Mikoto thought as she sat down beside him, setting down two cups of warm tea on the table.

"Then we'll let them explain. Sasuke's pretty good at handling press conferences, and from that earlier experience, Sakura is exceptional, too." Mikoto grabbed her cup of tea and took a small sip out of it.

"What if they can't explain it? The company will gain lots of attention, but it's not the attention that I want. I want people to be focused on our products, our financial success, our stores and employees, and overall, I want them to be focused on the fact that we are still the best company in Japan. But if that attention is going to be focused on this little problem between Sasuke and Sakura, I don't know if I-,"

"Honey...calm down, will you?" Mikoto placed a gently hand on his arm. "...I'll go tell them to come down for breakfast. Since you took today off, just relax and I'll take care of this, ok? I'll discuss to them about this and see what they'll come up with. Since you already ate, you should just take a nap." She handed his cup of tea to him before getting up and going upstairs.

* * *

Sasuke just got done washing up. He slipped on a silky, black dress shirt and some matching black slacks. He quickly put on some black socks and sprayed on some cologne. He glanced back at Sakura, who was still sleeping.

Damn, she could really sleep. It's been two days in a row since she's slept through half a day.

He jumped out of his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door. He walked over, scanned his thumb, and the door slid open to reveal his mom.

"You up already?" Mikoto smiled.

"Yea...but Sakura's still asleep. Why?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Wake her up and come down for breakfast. Your father is taking today off, so I need to talk to you two about something and you two need to go manage the company for today." Mikoto replied as she looked over at Sakura's sleeping form. "Anyways, are you two ok? What was yesterday all about?"

"...ah...just got in a little fight. It was my fault. I lost my temper too quick..." Sasuke muttered.

"Well, hurry and come downstairs. I need to discuss that matter with you." Mikoto said before she turned to go.

Sasuke closed the door and walked back over to Sakura. He reached for her, but hesitated. He didn't just want to casually wake her up after that little argument they had yesterday. 'Damn it...what should I do?'

He quickly withdrew his hand back when Sakura suddenly stirred. She let out a soft yawn and snuggled into her pillow. "Mmm..." She grumbled and her eyes slowly opened.

'Perfect timing.' Sasuke sighed in relief.

Sakura turned to the side and she gasped when she Sasuke in front of her. "You scared me!" She glared at him and sat up.

"...sorry. Um, anyways...my mom said for you to get ready and come have breakfast with us." Sasuke replied awkwardly.

Sakura let out another yawn as she lifted the blanket off of her. "Then I'll be downstairs in a bit."

Sasuke nodded and turned to go. He opened the door, but before he went out, he glanced back slightly. "Sakura."

"Hm?" Sakura looked up at him.

"Forget what I said yesterday." Sasuke said as he slid the door shut.

Sakura sat there, dumbfounded. "...forget what you said?" She narrowed her eyes and stared down at her feet. 'What is he talking about? He wants me to forget that he was jealous over me? How can I possibly forget something like that?'

* * *

Sasuke sat at the dining table, waiting for the food.

Mikoto came from the living room with the newspaper in her hand and sat down next to him.

"Father's not eating?" Sasuke asked.

"He's kind of stressed out right now..."

"About what?"

Mikoto sighed as she handed him the newspaper. "About this."

Sasuke took it and his eyes widened when he saw the front page...there were two pictures; one of them kissing, and one of them shows Sakura slapping Sasuke. "They already published this to the newspaper?"

"...yes. Sasuke, yesterday was a very important event to celebrate the company's success. This kind of attention isn't good at all. What exactly happened yesterday?"

"Things...just got out of hand. We just got in a little argument, and she wouldn't shut up, so I just kissed her, and then she slapped me." Sasuke replied shortly.

"But it seems like the matters are worse than that-,"

"Is breakfast ready yet?" Sakura suddenly skipped in the dining room.

"Ah...almost, honey. Sit down," Mikoto smiled.

Sakura nodded and walked over to Sasuke's side. She glanced at him and awkwardly sat down next to him.

"So...will you two tell me the real situation? Everyone's probably going crazy about these photos of you two."

Sakura blinked. "What photos?"

Sasuke set the newspaper down in front of her, and she gasped. She couldn't believe that the media really published it!

"We need to hold a press conference about this matter. Now, tell me, what's been going on?" Mikoto demanded.

Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other, both not daring to speak up.

Mikoto sighed as she leaned back and crossed her arms. "We can't just let this go. We need to explain to the public. This problem between you two cannot cause a fall to the company, understand? Tell me what happened."

Sasuke swallowed and spoke up first. "...I saw her dancing with Gaara."

"And so?" Mikoto urged on.

"...I saw them getting a little too close to each other, so I pulled her away. I told her that it's dangerous to be so close to another guy because the media can make up a rumor, and things will go bad. We argued for a bit, and...and then I kissed her..." Sasuke murmured.

Sakura stared down at her lap, too embarrassed to face them.

"...I didn't know why I did it. It was just on impulse. I guess before I knew it, the paparazzi already rushed over to us and started taking pictures. As to the slap she gave me...it was all fault. I know it shocked her." Sasuke apologized.

"So, in all, you were just jealous of Sakura being with another guy?" Mikoto couldn't help but smile.

Sasuke sighed and nodded. "...yea..."

Sakura's eyes widened. He admitted it again! Does that mean he really did like her?

"Hmmm...well, we certainly can't tell them that story. They'll get curious about the relationship with Sakura and Gaara if we tell them." Mikoto glanced at her watch. "Anyways, you two need to think it over while working at the company. And please excuse the workers and employees if they give you weird looks...they probably already heard, too. I'll call you when I've reserved a press meeting with the media. As for now, let's eat!"

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke sat quietly in the car. Things were to awkward for them to even say hi now.

'...I hate this silence...should I say something...?' Sakura thought as she bit her lower lip nervously.

"...I'm sorry." Sasuke suddenly blurted.

"Eh?" Sakura looked over at him.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. If I hadn't done that, then we wouldn't be all over the news right now." Sasuke apologized.

Sakura didn't know what to say to him so she just averted her eyes down to her lap and didn't utter a word.

"...really, I'm sorry. I really did deserve that slap from you..."

"I'm sorry, too...I was just surprised..." Sakura murmured.

"So, what happened between you two?" Sasuke hesitantly asked.

Sakura wasn't sure if she should tell him or not. He might get mad again.

Sasuke sighed. "If you just tell me what's going on between you two, then I promise I'll mind my own business from now on."

Sakura looked at him in surprise. Did he really mean that? "Um...well, Gaara said he has feelings for me, and...and since this marriage is fake, he wants to go out with me." She replied quietly.

Sasuke didn't know why he was so irritated, but he took a deep breath to calm down. "Did you agree? Is that why you two are around each other so often now?"

"No! It's not like that. It's just...he said he wants to steal me away from you, and he won't leave me alone, so that's why he's always around me."

"Do you like him, too?" Sasuke dared to ask.

Sakura thought about it for a moment.

Sasuke was starting to panic. She wasn't answering...does that mean she really does like Gaara back?

"...I admit I am a bit attracted to him..." Sakura paused. "...but I don't like him the way he likes me. That's why he said we should start off as friends, and I thought it was a good idea, so that's how we are right now." She glanced over at Sasuke and saw how his hands were clenched tightly on the steering wheel. "Sasuke...I'm married to you now, so I absolutely won't cheat on you."

They finally got the company and Sasuke parked the car. "Like I said, I'll mind my own business from now on. If you two are just friends, then it's fine with me."

Sakura nodded, thankful that he didn't get angry this time.

They both got out of the car and Sasuke walked over to Sakura's side. He held her hand and pulled her along with him inside the company.

When they entered, just like Mikoto said, the employees were already looking at them weirdly.

"Just ignore them. They all probably saw the news already." Sasuke whispered as he pulled her closer to him, snaking his arm around her waist. Sakura blushed at the close contact.

She could hear whispers and murmurs of the workers.

_"Did they makeup already?"_

_"They're probably just acting, huh?"_

_"They got into a fight yesterday...how can they just casually walk together like nothing happened?"_

Sakura looked up at Sasuke worriedly.

"Sakura, ignore them." Sasuke said again. "I'll explain everything to the media at the press conference, so you don't have to worry, ok?"

Sakura nodded and sighed in relief when they reached Sasuke's office. He let go of her and closed the door, not wanting Sakura to hear anymore of the employees.

"If it's this bad at the company, imagine when we go back to school on Monday. I bet everyone's gonna be asking us questions," Sakura groaned and sat down in Sasuke's office chair.

"It's fine. I'll clear this up today, so by the time we go back to school, everything will be fine."

"I hope so. I wonder if Naruto will become suspicious of our relationship again..." Sakura looked down at her lap with a troubled expression.

Sasuke clenched his fists together. Why was she involved with so many damn guys? First, all his friends flirt with her, Gaara and her are in the 'friend zone' now, and even Naruto is still involved. It annoyed the hell out of him. "Why do you care if he gets suspicious about us or not? You already rejected their offer. You shouldn't even think about him anymore."

"Well, we have to make this marriage-,"

"...look real. I know, I know. That's why I'm gonna fix it all today. You don't have to worry so much." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"And also, he's my first love after all. I just can't stop caring about him." Sakura murmured.

Sasuke didn't bother to say anything.

Sakura hated the awkward silenced between them. "U...um...do you want some coffee? I'll go get some, then I'll go see how the mall is progressing on the products so far this morning." She stuttered and got up from the chair.

Sasuke grabbed her arm, stopping her. "It's fine. You can just stay in this room and check the progresses so far on the computer. I'll go get the coffee." He replied and let go of her, walking to the door.

"Eh? But why can't I just do it?" Sakura blinked.

"I don't want people saying bad things behind your back." Sasuke simply replied.

Sakura blushed. "...but...but what about you?"

"I'm fine. I'm like the second boss here, so they won't dare say anything if I'm around. I'll fire them on the spot if I hear anything." Sasuke said before closing the door.

"...he acts like he's so cool..." Sakura scoffed. But she ended up smiling, knowing that he's probably only doing this to protect her.

* * *

Hinata dialed Naruto's phone number.

_"Hello?"_

"Naruto?"

_"Ah, Hinata! What's up?"_

"Um...did you see the news on TV, or the computer? Or the newspaper?"

_"...oh. About Sakura and Sasuke, right?"_

"Yea..."

_"Yea, I saw it this morning. I was kinda, um, shocked about it."_

"Was it weird seeing her kiss him?"

_"...yea."_

"You're ok, right?"

_"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"_

"Well, because...I just thought you'd be kinda hurt, seeing Sakura kiss another guy."

_"Hinata, I already told you that I love you more than her. It's still kind of uncomfortable for me to see her with Sasuke, but I'm used to it, now. I'm fine."_

"Alright, then. I'm a little surprised, too, about the second picture. I wonder if they had a fight if she slapped him like that."

_"Probably...I wonder what happened, too."_

"Do you think they really are in love?"

_"At first, no. But now...seeing them together all the time, it might be possible."_

"Do you think...she's over you?"

_"...I honestly don't know..."_

"I see...let's talk face to face. Are you doing anything right now?"

_"No. I'll come pick you up and we could go somewhere today. You wanna?"_

"Yea, that'd be great."

_"Mkay then. I'll be over in fifteen minutes."_

* * *

Mikoto called the media and paparazzi. "Yes, I want to hold a press conference on the topic of Sasuke and Sakura yesterday evening. The location will be in front of the company at around 5 PM."

She hung up and walked over to the living room, where Fugaku just woke up from his nap. "Dear, I already called the media. I told Sasuke and Sakura to sort this out, so I'm pretty sure they're thinking of something to solve this problem."

"Did they go to the company this morning?"

"Yes. I've already texted Sasuke earlier so that they know what time the press conference will be."

Fugaku sighed and nodded. "That's good. I just hope they won't be saying anything embarrassing."

"I'm sure they'll do fine."

"What if they don't?"

"Honey, stop worrying about it. Just trust them, ok? You gotta learn to trust Sasuke if you expect him to be the next president of this company."

Fugaku let out a another sigh, but he agreed. "Yea, you're right. But we're not going to the conference?"

"No. Only Sasuke and Sakura will be there. You still need to rest from all this stress. I'll go tell the chef to make you some soup, so just watch TV or something, ok?" Mikoto smiled at him before going over to the kitchen.

* * *

Sasuke brought in the coffee and set it down next to Sakura.

"My mom texted me. She said the press will be coming here at five."

Sakura blinked. "Five? But that's only in two hours."

"I know. Don't worry, I already know what to say." Sasuke shrugged and took a sip out of his coffee cup.

"But what if they ask_ me_ questions? I really don't know-,"

"Sakura..." Sasuke set his coffee down and leaned down towards her. Sakura blushed and she scooted the chair back immediately. Sasuke smirked at her nervous expression.

"...Stop. Worrying. I'll take care of everything, ok? All you need to do is stand beside me. I'll answer all the questions they ask."

Sakura nodded reluctantly, not wanted Sasuke to lean in any further.

Sasuke withdrew back and grabbed his coffee again.

"Um...are you gonna tell them the truth? Are you gonna mention Gaara?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Probably not. That will only cause more drama." Sasuke shook his head.

"Then are you gonna lie to them?"

"No."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you gonna do?"

"Will you just be quiet and let me take care of it?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"But I'm curious!" Sakura pouted.

"You're really a brat, you know that?"

"Because you're not telling me what you're gonna say to them!"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

"Because I wanna know!"

"So?"

"You're so annoying!"

"I could say the same thing to you." Sasuke took another sip of his coffee.

"Please?" Sakura pleaded and clamped her hands together.

"Why?"

"Ugh, because!"

"Because...?"

"Because I'm your wife!" Sakura blurted out. She immediately covered her mouth and blushed.

Sasuke laughed. "So?"

Sakura huffed and glared at him.

"I'm not gonna say anything that interesting. You don't have to be so curious." Sasuke lightly flicked her forehead. "Besides, how is the business going? And did you get the contract get signed by the Inuzuka company? They're proposing an idea to combine their stores with ours, so the profits will be much higher."

Sakura turned back to the computer. "...we've had over 700 customers in the north mall this morning. And the contract was already signed, so I'm just waiting for them to fax it over by tomorrow."

"Good. Is this hard for you?"

Sakura shook her head. "It's not that hard. I just feel like I'm business class at school." She grinned.

"It's much more serious than that. Business in the real world is harsh," Sasuke replied.

"I know." Sakura shrugged.

"Anyways, let's get dinner at a restaurant tonight instead of eating in the house." Sasuke stated randomly.

"Eh? Why?"

"Being seen in public together will clear up more misunderstandings. If people see us getting along, then they'll believe that we're not fighting anymore."

"Oh, right. Ok then." Sakura smiled. It's been a long time since they've been out together.

* * *

Two hours later, people were piling up in front of the company already. The media and paparazzi arrived with cameras ready to shoot.

Sakura glanced down from the glass window and gasped. "There are so many people!"

"I know. Let's go." Sasuke grabbed her hand and dragged her with him.

They went down the elevator and into the lobby, where some paparazzi were already waiting for them. They flashed their cameras vigorously at Sasuke and Sakura when they came out of the elevator.

Sakura could see the employees whispering and looking at them. She walked closer to Sasuke when a few cameramen came a bit too close to her. Sasuke noticed this and glared at them. "If you get close to her, I'll fucking break your cameras, got it?" He threatened and walked faster, pulling Sakura with him. Sakura looked up at him, taken by surprise at how pissed off he was.

They walked out of the company to see a mob of people standing behind several bodyguards and security. The media began taking pictures as soon as they saw Sasuke and Sakura.

They both walked up to a platform where there was a stand with a microphone. Everyone hushed down when Sasuke cleared his throat. "I'll take any questions about yesterday's event."

_"Are you two in a fight?"_

"We just got in a little argument and I acted without thinking, so she just slapped me." Sasuke replied straightforwardly.

_"What did you two fight about?"_

"That's personal. I will not be giving out any details about that."

_"Are you two still in an argument?"_

"No. We made up. It's nothing big, so you all shouldn't be so worked up about this matter."

_"Why won't you give us any information about the argument?" _

"It's a personal matter."

_"Will this affect your relationship with each other?"_

Sasuke sighed. He hated how they asked such personal questions. "Our relationship is going fine. This small argument won't really affect anything."

_"Then why did she slap you? What was the reason behind the kiss?"_

Sakura blushed. How can they ask that so straightforwardly?

"Like I said, I just acted on impulse, so she slapped me."

_"How can we believe you?"_

"I can assure you that there's nothing more going on between me and my wife. We've already made up."

_"Ms. Sakura Haruno, can you clarify that?"_

Sakura looked at Sasuke. She remembered that he told her not to answer, so she kept quiet.

"My wife is kind of overwhelmed by all this media attention, so she'll not be answering any questions." Sasuke answered instead.

_"Are you two really in love? From the pictures on newspaper, she seemed really surprised that you kissed her."_

"...I did it unexpectedly."

_"How can we believe all this? I'm kind of suspicious that Sakura isn't answering any questions at all, even if she isn't used to this attention."_

"I promise that I am telling the truth. We're not hiding anything, and our relationship together is doing very fine." Sasuke was starting to get annoyed.

_"Are you sure you two are just not acting? You couldn't have possibly made up that quickly."_

"Do you guys need some proof or what?" Sasuke glared at the media, pissed off that they keep repeating over the same subject.

_"Yes, please." _

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes.

'How is he going to prove that we made up? They're not even listening to what he's saying...they're not even believing him.' Sakura thought as she tightened her grasp on his arm.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to prove that we made up. I'm saying this truthfully, that we're over the argument. It was nothing big._"_

_"Any good proof will do. If Ms. Sakura Haruno steps up and says that everything is fine, then we'll believe you."_

Sakura looked at the crowd nervously, feeling everyone's eyes on her. She tightened her grasp on Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke glanced at her and he was getting irritated. They're all making her feel so uncomfortable. Only one thought came into his mind about how to solve this, and he took a deep breath. "...fine. I'll prove to you all that my wife and I really do love each other."

Sakura blushed at Sasuke's words and stared up at him curiously, only to find him gazing back at her. She flinched back when she saw him lean in slightly. "Sasuke...?"

"...just trust me, Sakura." Sasuke whispered and leaned in more.

Sakura could hear the whispers and gasps of the crowd and the cameras clicking. 'What is he doing?' Sakura closed her eyes when she felt his forehead touch hers.

Sasuke raised his hand and cupped one of her cheeks, caressing it gently. Sakura shivered at his gentle touch.

'Sorry Sakura...this is probably the only way they'll believe us.' Sasuke thought.

And in one swift move, he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips onto hers.

Girls in the crowd were squealing, people were gasping in surprise, and the media and paparazzi were fighting over each other to take pictures.

Sakura held her breath and froze in place. She felt the like she should just push him away and slap him again, but that would make everything worse. However, she didn't really hate it.

Sasuke realized that she didn't make any move to push him away and instead, felt her kissing him back. He didn't know why, but he was overjoyed that she willingly accepted the kiss. He pulled back, but quickly leaned in again to give her a gentle peck on the lips. He drew away and opened his eyes.

Sakura fluttered her eyes open and looked at him with a confused expression.

Sasuke didn't say anything to her and just turned back to the crowd. "I hope this proof is enough to show that our relationship is going well. Thank you for your time and I'll be cutting this press conference short." He replied as he held Sakura's hand and they both stepped off the platform. The crowd all followed them, but the security guarded them and stopped them from passing.

Sakura was still in a daze. She didn't realize that Sasuke wasn't going back into the building anymore, but instead, he went into a small black car that drove up in front of the company. "Drive us home, please." Sasuke requested.

Sakura got in the car and sat quietly, staring down at her lap.

"...I'm sorry..." Sasuke glanced over at her. "...that was the only way I could get them to believe we made up."

"It...it's fine...I understand..." Sakura stuttered. She still couldn't believe Sasuke kissed her...two days in a row! She bit her bottom lip and she could still imagine the warmth of his lips pressed against hers.

"Were you scared?"

Sakura nodded her head slowly.

"I really am sorry. You must've hated it. I feel like I just took advantage of you...I'll make it up to you, ok?" Sasuke apologized.

"...it's fine. It was the only thing we could do, so really, I understand." Sakura reassured him.

"...ok." Sasuke reached over and gently grabbed her hand. "...you did good, though." He smiled at her.

Sakura swore her heart just skipped a beat. Why was he acting like? They weren't even around that many people anymore, so why is he so kind towards her?

"Sasuke, this marriage can't be based on love, so..." Sakura paused. "...so...that kiss didn't mean anything, right?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He turned to look at her and gazed at her for a few moments.

"No, Sakura. That kiss meant a lot."

* * *

**So I'll leave it there ;)**

**I hope this chapter was good for you guys! REVIEW and tell me what you think so far.**

**Next chapter will be up soon!  
**


	20. Blame

**Blame  
**

_*Here's the next chapter! It's kind short, buuuuut Enjoy! :)  
_

* * *

Sakura looked at him in surprise. What exactly did he mean? He was just so damn confusing these past few days.

She didn't bother to keep the conversation going and just shyly looked away from him.

Sasuke let out a quiet sigh and mentally smacked himself. He didn't know what the hell he was saying around her anymore. She actually didn't push him away...she even kissed him back...so of course that kiss meant alot. He glanced down and realized he was still holding her hand...it was kind of awkward right now, so he wasn't sure if he should let go or not.

Sakura, on the other hand, obviously knew he was still holding her hand, but she was to nervous to pull away or do anything, so she kept still. She made a small gasp when she felt his hand turn and his fingers entangled with hers.

Sasuke kinda didn't want to let go, so he figured he should just keep holding her hand. He secretly smiled when she didn't pull away.

No matter how many times they held hands, Sasuke didn't know why he never got tired of it...it just felt so right.

* * *

The rest of the day was quiet and awkward. Sakura tried avoiding him as much as she could, and Sasuke pretended to busy himself with company contracts and papers.

'Ugh...this is not going well...' Sakura thought as she sat down in the living room and turned on the flat-screen TV. She was so nervous just to see him now.

Speak of the devil, Sasuke just came in the living room, but stopped when he saw her.

Sakura glanced at him and then pretended like she was paying attention to the TV.

Sasuke wasn't sure if he should go sit with her or not. Slowly, he took a step forward, but then froze again. '...she probably doesn't want to be near me right now...' He thought and spun back around, walking away from her.

To be honest, Sakura was a little disappointed that Sasuke walked out. 'What am I thinking...it's not like I _wanted_ him to sit with me anyway.' She thought to herself and shrugged.

Sasuke looked back slightly and noticed the disappointed look on her face. '...why is she looking like that...?' He bit his lower lip hesitantly, as he once again turned around and slowly walked back to her.

Sakura was taken by surprise when she noticed him walking back and shifted uncomfortably when he sat down beside her.

"...you ok?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

"...yea..." Sakura nodded slowly.

Sasuke decided not to ask anymore questions and just pretended to watch TV.

Sakura looked at him from the corner of her eyes and wondered if she should ask. She gulped and fiddled her thumbs together. "Um...Sasuke..."

"Hm?" Sasuke turned to look at her.

"Um...just wondering...what did you mean...?" Sakura paused. "You know...when you said it meant a lot..."

Sasuke blinked. He hadn't expected her to keep talking about that topic. He honestly didn't know what to tell her.

Sakura bit her bottom lip and averted her eyes from him. "Ah, nevermind. You don't have to tell me. I was just curious." She replied quickly. She was too scared to know the truth anyways. What if Sasuke really did like her? It would break all the rules they had in their fake marriage.

Sasuke took a deep breath. "I don't know how to tell you this, but...what I meant was that...I..."

Sakura swore her heart was beating like a drum. What was he going to say? She waited anxiously, and stared at him.

Their eyes met.

Sasuke's eyes averted down to her lips. He wondered if she would push him away if he kissed her for the third time.

Sakura flinched when he suddenly raised his hand and touched her cheek. She looked at him with an uncertain face and trembled slightly when he started leaning in. Was he really going to kiss her again?

Sasuke immediately froze when he realized she was shaking a little. He narrowed his eyes. Was she _scared_?

"Sakura...do you hate me?"

Sakura gazed at him in wonder. Why would he just ask that question out of nowhere? 'But...I couldn't possibly hate him...there's no reason to hate him...'

"Why would I?" She muttered.

"...because...I always feel like I'm taking advantage of you. I feel like I'm forcing myself on you, and...and you're not even rejecting anything I do. I'm sorry...for scaring you like that..." Sasuke apologized.

Sakura opened her mouth and was about to respond, but Sasuke's phone suddenly rang.

Sasuke took out his phone from his pocket and looked at the caller I.D. It was Karin. He stood up and walked away a few steps from Sakura.

Sakura slumped her shoulders down, knowing who it was already. She wondered why she was disappointed whenever Sasuke ignored her to talk to Karin.

"Hello?" Sasuke answered.

_"Sasuke. We need to talk **now**." _Karin demanded.

"But I'm at home-,"

_"Are you with that pink-haired girl?"_

"Sakura? Yea...I'm with her..."

Sakura's head perked up at the mention of her name.

_"Ugh! Come out right now! I'm in front of your house. I need to talk to you. If you don't come out in two minutes, I'm breaking up with you!" _

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What? Karin, why-,"

He didn't get to finish when she hung up on him. He sighed and closed his phone, turning back to Sakura.

"Karin wants to meet with me. I'll be home in a bit. You can tell my parents that I'm just going out for dinner," He replied before quickly running out the living room.

Sakura stared down at her lap sadly. "...yea...sure..."

* * *

Sasuke opened the the front door to see Karin's car parked right in front of their house. Karin was leaning against her car, with her arms crossed, glaring at him.

"Karin...what are you doing here?" Sasuke closed the door behind him and walked to her.

"Heh, so what now? Now that you kissed her_ twice_ in public, your _**real**_ fiancee can't even visit you?" Karin scoffed.

Sasuke sighed. "Karin...the public demanded it. We had to do something to prove our relationship-,"

"I know that! But what about the first kiss? What the hell was that about? You just left me and went to her. The next thing I know, you kiss her right in front of my eyes!" Karin exclaimed.

"It was...I just wasn't thinking straight..."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Oh sure, you weren't thinking right. I clearly saw the expression on your face when you were watching them dance together. You were jealous! You told me that you don't have any feelings for her! If you have feelings for her, then_ we_ mean nothing anymore." She stared down at her ring.

Sasuke's eyes widened when she raised up her hand and proceeded to take the ring off. He quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Karin, what are you doing? Don't do this...please..." He stared at her, hurt that she would actually think of breaking up with him.

Karin gazed at him sorrowfully and her eyes slowly filled with tears.

Sasuke froze in place. This was the first time ever that he had seen her cry. Being with her for 2 years now, he knew she wasn't the type to cry. "Karin..."

"You were mine first, Sasuke..." She whispered and jerked her hand away from her. "We've been together for 2 years...and yet, it only takes two months for you to start falling for her. What a joke." She frowned and took off the ring before he could react.

"Karin, don't do this. I really love you, so don't do this to me." Sasuke pleaded and let out a shaky sigh. He was so scared that he was going to lose her.

Karin closed her eyes for a moment, letting her tears run down her cheeks. She looked down at the ring and then to him. "How can I believe you? I can't stand seeing you with her anymore!"

Sasuke pulled her into a hug and snuggled in her hair. "I promise, ok? I promise, you're the only one for me. I told you...I'm divorcing with her...we only have 2 months left. I promise you, I have no feelings for her...so please, don't leave me..." He embraced her tighter, hoping that she would agree.

Karin stayed quiet. "...will you spend today with me?"

Sasuke nodded with no hesitation. "I'll go over your house so no one sees us. I'll spend today with you..."

Karin wiped away her_** fake**_ tears and smiled evilly. "Good, then. Let's go, right now?"

Sasuke nodded again and broke away from her. "Come on...I'll drive."

Karin gave him the keys. He walked over to the driver's side.

She looked back at the house and smirked. 'Well, Sakura...let's see how you can handle it when he's gone all night."

* * *

**I'm sorry for not updating in such a long time. I went to this camping retreat for Labor Day weekend, and then I got homework to catch up on too -_-**

**So anyways, next chapter will be up, so look forward to it. **

**REVIEW and tell me how you liked it so far! :)  
**


	21. Disaster

**Disaster  
**

_*Sophomore year of highschool is taking up my time; got a busy schedule lately. Sorry for the long wait :(  
_

* * *

Mikoto came in the living room to see Sakura sitting alone.

"Where's Sasuke?"

"Ah...he went out for dinner." Sakura muttered, making sure she copied Sasuke's exact words.

"Hm? Why didn't he take you?" Mikoto raised an eyebrow.

"Um...he just wanted to go alone...to get some relief from all this media attention." Sakura lied.

"Oh, I see. Well, do you want to come eat? The chefs just prepared dinner. And since we're both home, it'll be good if we sit together and eat as a family for the first time," Mikoto smiled at her.

Sakura stayed quiet for a moment before nodded. "Ok."

* * *

Karin pulled out a bottle of wine and poured it into two glass cups. She brought over to the living room, where Sasuke was sitting at.

"Here..." She handed it to him and sat beside him.

"How long do you want me to stay?" Sasuke asked and put his arm around her.

Karin leaned on him and sipped the wine. "...the whole night...please?" She muttered quietly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Karin, my parents will get worried-,"

"Please?" Karin pretended to look sad and pleaded again.

Sasuke let out a sigh. "...I don't know...I-,"

Karin huffed and pushed him away. "You seriously don't want to be with me, do you?" She got up and slammed down her wine on the coffee table, spilling it a little. "Then just go back home. If you can't even spend tonight with me, then I really mean nothing to you." She turned around and was about to walk away, but Sasuke got up and hugged her from behind.

"Ok, ok, fine...I'll just call them that I'm sleeping over Suigetsu's house or something...alright?"

A smile crept on Karin's face. She turned around and gave him a sweet kiss. "Thanks, babe. Drink up. Let's watch a movie, ok?" Karin lifted up his cup of wine to his lips.

Sasuke nodded.

They both sat back down as Karin turned on the TV and bought a movie on it. She glanced at Sasuke and smirked as he was constantly drinking his wine.

Little did he know, she had put in some sleeping drug powder.

* * *

After eating dinner with Sasuke's parents, Sakura walked up to her room and sat down, staring down sadly at her feet.

She was...angry at Sasuke, to be honest.

He told her that she couldn't meet up with or talk to any guys...but why does he keep going to Karin?

"Ugh. Jerk. He can't even consider my own feelings..." She muttered to herself and laid down on her pillow. She looked at the time and realized it was getting late. When was he gonna get home?

Sakura felt herself panicking. What if he spends the night with Karin? What if...something happens between them?

Sakura shook her head, trying to erase the thoughts away.

Sasuke wouldn't do that. He wouldn't do that before his marriage with Karin. He would never jeopardize this "marriage" with her.

"I need to stop worrying about him...he'll probably come back in an hour or so." Sakura calmed herself down and fluttered her eyes closed and tried to sleep.

But, she couldn't. It was one of those nights where she had to think about everything and sleep just wouldn't consume her. It had been such a long, long day...the newspaper published pictures of them, the news displayed it as well, the work, the company, the paparazzi, the kiss, the nervous moments...everything was just a mess.

She wondered how she even got herself in this mess.

After a while of silence, she peeked at the clock and noticed it was already past 1:00 AM. Sakura blinked and slowly sat up. "...it's already past midnight..." She reached for her cellphone and called him.

* * *

Sasuke's phone was ringing. But he was dead asleep.

Karin took it out of his pocket and smirked when she saw the caller I.D. She turned it off and stuck it under the couch.

"Well...she won't be contacting you any time soon..."

Karin laughed quietly. She glanced at Sasuke and started to unbutton her own shirt.

"Sasuke...you'll stay with me...you were mine first. I'll make her disappear from our lives..." Karin took her shirt off, leaving only her bra on, and slightly pulled down her skirt so that her underwear showed a bit.

She laid back down next to him and gently took off his shirt. Karin unbuckled his belt and hesitated, but she unzipped his pants just a little.

Karin let out a satisfied sigh and snuggled next to him. "This should do it."

* * *

Sakura bit her bottom lip nervously when he didn't answer. She called twice. Three times. Five times.

"Damn it!" Sakura already sent him 10 text messages earlier, and still, no reply.

"...why isn't he picking up his phone?" She was starting to panic.

After calling a few more times, she finally gave up and threw her phone on the ground. "That jerk...if he really slept with her, I won't forgive him!"

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh and laid back down.

She ended up not sleeping at all that night.

* * *

_***next day***_

Gaara was sitting on his leather couch, watching the news. He couldn't believe it. They kissed _again_.

And this time, Sakura actually kissed him back.

'...what the hell...' He didn't know why, but he wasn't exactly too happy about it. If he was gonna get Sakura, he needs to step it up a bit.

"Ah, damnit...I can't even make a move on her because of Suigetsu's rule..." Gaara glared at the TV. "...stupid idiot. If he wants all of us to be on the same level relationship with Sakura, then how will there be a winner?"

He turned the TV off, getting sick of seeing Sakura and Sasuke's kiss over and over again. Gaara narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

It was strange. It seemed almost as if their fake marriage was real now. They both really seem to be having feelings for each other. "What if they end up staying together in the end?" Gaara knew it wasn't supposed to happen, but judging by how things were going lately, Sasuke and Sakura might just stay together.

"What if that happens?" Gaara sighed."Then the bet will mean nothing...and plus, there's Karin, too. There'll be too many complications if they don't stick to their original plan."

He quickly took out his phone and dialed Suigetsu's number.

_"Hello?"_

"Suigetsu?"

_"Ah! Gaaraaaa! Wassup?"_

"Did you see the news?"

_"Oh, that. Yea, I'm watching it right now."_

"Do you realize this will cause a problem?"

_"Yea, I know. But the kiss was probably fake, you know-,"_

"Just _**look**_ at their expression! Anyone could tell that they really do have feelings for each other. If they fall in love, it'll ruin our chances, and it'll ruin Sasuke's engagement with Karin. There'll be too many problems...what are we gonna do...?"

_"...hmmmmm...well, I guess you're right...they do look like they're serious...well, that's gonna be a problem. Well, then! We'll just cancel the bet, huh?" _

"What the hell. How can you say that so easily?"

_"Heh, why? Did you really develop feelings for Sakura? This bet just started and you're already falling for her, Gaara? YOU of all people, too. I suggest you stop your feelings before you get hurt. Call up the other guys and meet up at my place, ok?"_

"But-,"

_"Hurry up, ok? Bye!" _

Gaara rolled his eyes when Suigetsu hung up on him. "Idiot..."

* * *

They all arrived at Suigetsu's place twenty minutes later.

They were all sitting on the couch, staring at each other in silence.

Neji cleared his throat. "So...what's up with this random meet up?"

Suigetsu crossed his legs and grinned. "Weeell...I assume you all have seen the kiss on the news, right?"

They all nodded.

"Judging from that, I think we should cancel this bet. It seems like Sasuke and Sakura are really getting serious about each other, and if they end up breaking their plan of divorcing in 4 months, then we have no choice but to stop this bet. Gaara opposes this idea, however, becaaaause it seems like he really does have a crush on Sakura..." Suigetsu raised his eyebrows up and down at Gaara.

Gaara ignored him. "So anyways. If you guys agree with the idea, then I'll stop the bet, too. But if you guys are still in...I want to step up my relationship with Sakura. It's no fun if I have to wait for all you guys to get in the 'friend zone' with her."

The guys exchanged looks and stayed quiet for a few moments.

"So...are we gonna vote or something?" Sai shrugged.

"OOH! Yes! That would be a good idea! Let's vote!" Suigetsu nodded eagerly. "Ok, so. I personally would stop, because I know they're probably gonna fall for each other eventually. Ok...whoever wants to stop the bet, raise their hands!"

Slowly, Sai and Juugo raised their hands.

"Eh? Juugo? Really?" Suigetsu's eyes widened.

"Well, yea. I mean...she's cute and everything, but come on, really? I would never get her." Juugo shrugged.

"...yea...and I think I'd prefer her to be more of a friend." Sai nodded.

"Ok! So then, it's just Gaara and Neji?" Suigetsu turned to them.

"I think it'd be an interesting compete against Gaara." Neji simply replied.

"Hn. I'm already ahead of you. She's not that easy to get, you know?" Gaara smirked.

"Oh, I know. But she gets nervous easily, so I can take that as an advantage," Neji smirked back at him.

"Alright, alright, stop it. You two are always so competitive in everything," Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Anyways, first thing, though...we need to observe them more. If they really fall in love, then you two are stopping this bet, got it?"

Neji nodded. Gaara hesitated...but he also nodded.

"Ok! So that's settled...since we're all here, wanna go hangout somewhere?" Suigetsu suggested.

"Let's go eat. I didn't have breakfast yet..." Juugo rubbed his belly and frowned.

They all laughed when they heard it grumble.

"Aight, let's go get some teriyaki chicken!"

* * *

Naruto picked up Hinata early in the morning and took her to a cafe.

"So...what's up?" Hinata muttered.

"...just missed you." Naruto smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

Hinata smiled back. "Are we gonna hangout anywhere today?"

"I thought about going to the movies, but there's no good ones."

"Oh...we could go to the park!" Hinata suggested.

"Sure." Naruto shrugged.

"I wanna go to the park near downtown. That's the biggest one around here...they even have a garden there."

Naruto's smile died down when he heard that. That park was the exact same one where he and Sakura had their first date and first kiss. "...um...let's not go there."

Hinata noticed his expression and she narrowed her eyes. "Why not? Is something wrong? You ok?" She leaned towards him worriedly.

"...it's just...that place isn't really comfortable to be around. You see..." Naruto hesitated, wondering if he should tell her or not.

"What is it?" Hinata urged.

"...it's...it's just that...that park is the same one I went to with Sakura..."

Hinata froze.

"...not to mention, it was when we started dating. It was our first date there and that was the place when I first kissed her. There's alot of memories to it." Naruto muttered.

"...oh..." Hinata leaned back and stared down at her lap. "...it's ok, then. We can just go shopping, alright?"

"I'm sorry." Naruto apologized and grabbed her hand.

"It's not your fault. I was the one that picked the place. So...let's just go shopping, ok?" Hinata smiled reassuringly at him.

He stared at her with regret. She loved him so much, and he loved her, too...but he still knew that a part of him will always love Sakura. She was his first crush, his first girlfriend, his first kiss, first real relationship and overall...she was his first love.

But he was going to make sure that Hinata received just as much love.

He held her hand tighter and nodded. "Ok. I'll buy you anything you want." He replied as he gave her a genuine smile.

* * *

Sakura woke up with her eyes all red and slightly puffy from the lack of sleep.

"Ugh..." She groaned as she woke up and went to wash up.

Sakura slipped on a simple white dress that embraced her curves and brushed her hair. After checking herself one more time in the mirror, she went downstairs.

Her mind was still on Sasuke. He didn't even come back last night.

'Ok. He'll be downstairs, sitting in the dining table, and eating breakfast.' Sakura reassured herself as she walked down the last couple of steps.

She turned to go to the dining area and her hopes were rising as she smelt the aroma of eggs and sausages. She guessed that Sasuke was probably eating already.

But as she turned and entered, her hopes died when she saw no one but a few maids and employees sitting together chatting. They all looked towards her and bowed.

Sakura smiled faintly at them and slightly bowed her head. "Um...has Sasuke eaten yet?"

"Young master was sleeping over one of his friends." A maid spoke up.

"...friends?" Sakura blinked.

"His mother said that she got a text earlier from him saying that he'll be sleeping over at his friend, Suigetsu. She told us to tell you that in case you got worried, madam." An employee explained.

"O...oh. I see. Then, I'll be in the living room." Sakura nodded as she turned to go.

"Will you eat breakfast with us, Sakura?"

Sakura was slightly surprised at the sudden call of her name. She turned around to see the maid who had came in her room a couple of weeks ago. "...thank you for finally not calling me anything formal. It feels nice being able to be casual with you. Same thing with you guys...please call me by my name. I'd appreciate it. And no thank you, I'm not hungry. You all enjoy your breakfast." She smiled sincerely at them before exiting the room.

* * *

Sakura sat down on the couch, utterly confused. He was at Suigetsu's?

'He said he'll be going over to Karin's place...' Sakura wondered if that's why Sasuke was gone all night. Did he really go sleep over Suigetsu's place?

"That seems more reasonable. There's no way he would stay all night with Karin..."

* * *

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times and looked around, remembering that he had stayed over at Karin's house.

'...but all I remember was drinking wine and then...' Sasuke couldn't remember anything after that. '...did I blackout or something?'

He tried to move and was taken by surprise when he saw Karin cuddling against him...and she was half naked.

Immediately, Sasuke froze, seeing that he was slightly undressed, himself.

'Shit.' He gulped and tried to make sense of the situation. Did he get too drunk yesterday? Did he drink too much? Did they...do something?

"...this can't be." Sasuke shook his head and gently, he shook Karin.

"Karin. Babe, wake up."

Karin stirred a bit before her eyes slowly opened. "Mmm...what...?" She groaned as she slowly sat up.

"Um...what happened yesterday?" Sasuke averted his eyes from her.

"Oh." Karin just smiled at him innocently. "...yesterday night was great. Get dressed, huh?" She simply replied and got up, putting her shirt on.

Sasuke quickly buttoned up his shirt and zipped up his pants. "...Karin, wait. Wait, what do you mean by that? Did we do something?" He was panicking. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"Why are you so worked up? We're gonna be married anyways...so it doesn't matter, right?" Karin rolled her eyes.

Sasuke stared at her in disbelief. "So we did do something last night?"

"Obviously, Sasuke. Don't you remember? You got a little drunk and you came on me. I didn't have any complaints, of course..." Karin smiled sweetly at him. "...oh come on, babe, don't be upset. It's ok, I promise."

"What if you get pregnant-,"

"So what? Are we not getting married anymore? You don't want a child with me?" Karin glared at him.

"It's not that! It's just...it wasn't supposed to happen this way. I didn't remember anything, and it was supposed to happen during our wedding night, but-,"

"Stop freaking out, Sasuke. This is all going well. We'll be married and we'll have a kid, and we'll be one big happy family...how is that so bad?" Karin crossed her arms.

"No, I'd like that, but, I just wanted it to be special...that's all...and I'm not that ready to take full responsibility of just taking advantage of you like that. I'm sorry, Karin." Sasuke apologized.

"It's fine. Like I said, I didn't have any complaints," Karin smirked and shrugged. She took his hand and walked over to the door."Well, come on. I'll drive you home. Your parents are probably worried why you're at 'Suigetsu's place' for so long."

* * *

Sakura was now pacing back and forth in the living room. Her doubts were growing bigger and bigger. What if he just lied? What if he really was with Karin?

"Ugh...I'm going crazy." Sakura shook her head and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Sasuke...you better not do anything bad." She muttered to herself. She didn't like the thought of him seeing Karin, and now, she didn't understand the jealousy she was feeling. She felt the need to just slap Sasuke in the face or something.

She nearly jumped when she heard the door bell. Quickly, she ran over to the door, thinking it would be Sasuke.

'Strange...if it is Sasuke, then why didn't he just scan his thumb to open the door?' She thought as she cautiously scanned her thumb. The door slid open slowly to reveal Sasuke...Sakura could see Karin's car in the background with Karin standing next to it.

She gazed at Sasuke and noticed he looked kinda stressed out. "Sasuke?" Sakura reached for him.

"Sasuke!" Karin ran over to them. Sakura quickly withdrew her arm back.

"Will you give me one of your glass of wine? I think we drank all mines yesterday." Karin asked.

"Are you sure? We drank alot-,"

"Pleaaase?" Karin pouted.

Sasuke sighed, but he nodded and walked past Sakura into the house.

Karin stared at Sakura and smiled sweetly. "Well, well...Sasuke's wife, huh?"

Sakura couldn't bring herself to smile back. Something was weird around here. "...did he stay with at your place all night?" She dared to ask.

"Tch. What do you think?" Karin crossed her arms.

Sakura's hands clenched tightly into fists. "He's my husband. Don't do anything that will-,"

"Oh, shut up." Karin interrupted. "He's _**your**_ husband? The last time I checked, he was mine to start with. This marriage is fake anyways. So to be exact, he's actually _**my**_ husband. Don't think that just because you came into their family, you have all the authority. Get your facts straight, honey."

Sakura stood speechless. "...Karin, he may be your real fiance...but worldwide, he's legally known as my husband. So just don't do anything to him that will jeopardize this marriage, even if it's fake."

"Me? Do something to him? Are you trying to make me the bad guy here? Last night, _he_ was the one who did something to me...if you know what I mean..." Karin grinned.

Sakura glared at her. "Sasuke's not like that. He wouldn't do that."

"Oh? Why do you think you know him so well? I've been with him much longer than you. Don't act like you know everything about Sasuke, because you obviously _**don't**_. Listen, I'm gonna make myself clear, alright?" Karin leaned closer to her and she gave Sakura a threatening look. "You better back off of Sasuke. He was mine first and I don't plan on handing him over to you, got that?"

"What are you gonna do to me, huh? If Sasuke knew you were like this, he would dump you immediately." Sakura narrowed her eyes.

Karin chuckled. "Do you think he would rather believe you over me? He's gonna get rid of you after this fake marriage is over. It's best that you don't get close with him or else you'll get your little heart broken. Anyway...yesterday with him already explained it all. He wants to be with me. We'll be married, and no doubt, we'll definitely have a child because last night, he-,"

Without thinking, Sakura brought her hand up and harshly slapped Karin on the cheek.

Karin stood frozen with teary eyes and a red mark on the side of her face.

"...Sakura..."

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard Sasuke's voice. She turned around to see him holding a bottle of wine and damn...he looked pissed off.

"S...Sasuke...I-,"

"What the hell did you do? !" Sasuke ran over to Karin and stared at her bruised cheek. "Sasuke...it hurts..." Karin whimpered.

Sakura felt the urge to just slap Karin again.

Sasuke turned to face Sakura and glared at her angrily.

"...if you even look at her...if you even fucking touch her one more time, I won't forgive you!"

* * *

**Again, sorry for not updating faster. I'm kinda busy with school so I don't go on the computer as much anymore.**

**I'll try to update the next chapter faster.**

**REVIEW and tell me how you like it so far!**

**Thanks.  
**


	22. Seeing Her Go

**Seeing Her Go  
**

_*Here's the next chapter! Enjoy :)  
_

* * *

Sakura swallowed and let out a deep sigh. It was the first time Sasuke had ever looked like that at her.

"Sasuke, I was just worried about you-,"

"What I do is none of your concern! If I stayed with Karin all night, that's none of your business. You have no right to lay a finger on her!" Sasuke looked worriedly at Karin and gently caressed her cheek.

"...you ok?"

Karin nodded.

Sakura couldn't get how Sasuke couldn't see past that fake expression. It was so disgusting...why the hell would he pick her out of all girls? Sakura wasn't even sure if Karin loved Sasuke wholeheartedly.

"Go home and put medicine on your cheek, ok? It's best that you're not seen around here...it'll cause rumors. I'll call you later, alright?" Sasuke muttered softly gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Ok...then I'll see you later..." Karin looked Sakura right in the eyes as she leaned up and kissed Sasuke.

Sakura's fists clenched tighter. She glared at Karin then spun around and went back in the house, not wanting to see them together anymore.

* * *

After Karin had drove home, Sasuke went inside the house.

'Sakura...how can she do something like that?' He thought angrily as the slap replayed in his mind. He never thought Sakura would be the type to hurt someone else.

He walked over to the living room to find Sakura sitting there, staring into space.

"...why did you do that? She did nothing wrong to you. If you touch her again-,"

"You won't forgive me. I know, I know." Sakura finished for him. "...but why don't you look at the situation before you decide who started things first, Sasuke." She frowned at him.

Sasuke scoffed. "Do you think I'm stupid? Why would you even ask that stupid question? I clearly saw with my own eyes that you slapped her!"

Sakura stood up quickly, and because she didn't sleep at all last night, her head felt kind of dizzy. She wobbled for a bit before regaining her posture again. "...whatever...you can believe whatever you want." She muttered before walking past him and out of the living room.

She put her palm against her forehead and winced. Her head was pounding. 'Damn...I'm having migraines...' She thought as she walked over to the kitchen.

The employees were finishing up their breakfast and were cleaning up the table.

"Mistress...ah...I mean, Sakura...you don't look too good. Are you ok?" One of the maids came up to her.

"I didn't sleep last night. I was worried about Sasuke...I didn't know where he was all night so I ended up not sleeping at all. I'll be fine, though. I just have a small headache...it'll go away." Sakura reassured her.

"Are you sure? You look pale. Do want anything to eat or drink?" The maid looked at her worriedly.

"I'm not hungry..." Sakura shook her head. "...um...I'm going to head out to the company first. Tell the other employees that I'll be in Sasuke's office, ok?"

The maid nodded and bowed.

Sakura turned back and walked over to the front door. 'A little work at the company should get my mind off of things...'

* * *

Gaara sat in his car and looked at the time. It was only eight o'clock.

'Sakura and Sasuke should be at the company...' He thought as he started the car and proceeded to drive.

"Well. Since I have permission to advance the relationship...I'll take Sakura on a date today. Neji's totally losing." Gaara smirked as he drove off to the company.

* * *

Sakura got out of the car and entered the company.

As soon as she got in, the employees bowed to her. It was weird being at the company without Sasuke, but she bowed back to them anyways.

"Ms. Haruno...do you want your daily coffee?" An employee came by.

"Sure. Thank you. Oh, and prepare one for Sasuke, too." Sakura smiled at her.

The employee nodded and walked away. Sakura sighed and pressed her palm against her forehead. 'Ugh...the headache isn't going away...'

She entered Sasuke's office and sat down, turning on the computer. She figured it didn't matter how much her head hurt...she had to check up on the business. Sasuke and his father both probably had headaches like this all the time, being the presidents of the company, so it probably wasn't a big deal if she had one.

Sakura narrowed her eyes when she saw that a few stores were declining financially. "Are they not selling well anymore? I gotta go check it out..."

A knock on the door distracted her. "Ah, come in!"

The door opened and the employee from earlier came in with two coffees. "Here you go miss..." She set them down in front of Sakura.

"Thank you. Um...and can you call these three stores to notify them that I'll be going to visit them? The perfume store, makeup store, and shoe store on the 7th street down the mall." Sakura replied.

"Of course." The employee nodded and walked out the office.

Sakura checked the other stores and smiled, seeing that the business was increasing. 'Probably good business from all that drama between me and Sasuke...the company probably got more attention.' The look on his face still lingered in her mind. She was sad that he probably hated her now, but at the same time, she was angry that he always jumped to conclusions.

She glanced over at the clock and guessed that Sasuke would probably be coming in a bit. "Well...he probably doesn't want to see me right now." Sakura stood up and exited the office. She hadn't even touched her cup of coffee yet.

She walked past a few employees and stopped. "If Sasuke asks where I am, tell him I'm checking up on some stores. I'll be back shortly, ok?"

The employees nodded and Sakura proceeded, going out of the company.

* * *

After changing, Sasuke came downstairs to see his parents getting ready to go.

"Oh...Sasuke. How was the sleepover?" Mikoto asked.

"Ah, it was fine." Sasuke lied.

"You heading over to the company?" Fugaku questioned as he tightened his tie.

"Yea, I'm going right now." Sasuke nodded.

"Good. The maids told me that Sakura already headed over earlier, so you don't have to worry about her." Mikoto replied as she and Fugaku went out first.

Sasuke sighed and tried to keep himself calm. He was just so angry that Sakura would hurt Karin like that. 'Tch...I wouldn't mind if we ended this fake marriage right now.' He thought coldly as he followed after his parents, shutting the front door behind him.

* * *

Sakura's personal driver dropped her off at the first store. She noticed there weren't even any customers in there.

Sakura got out of the car and walked in the store, getting greeted immediately from the store owners.

"Ah! Miss Haruno, it's an honor to have you visit our store!"

"I just came here to check up on things. I've noticed that you haven't been selling your products that well lately?" Sakura looked around the store.

"...oh...about that...we haven't been able to order the latest trends of perfumes. People nowadays get sick of the old same stuff, and since our store was really popular, I guess people demanded changes too quickly. If possibly...will the company lend us some money to keep the shop running? We just need to get new brands of perfumes from Korea, and I'm sure our sales will be up again. Please, Miss Haruno...I beg of you to help us." One of the store owners bowed and begged.

Sakura bit her bottom lip. She wasn't too sure if Sasuke's father will approve, since this shop was no big deal if it closed down. But since the shop owner said it was really popular, bringing new products should be able to get the sales back up. "...I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Sakura smiled sincerely at them. "I just came to see what the problem was. I have to go and check on two other stores...they're failing financially as well. If you have anymore problems, please just call the company and I'm pretty sure the president will do something for you." She replied before walking out the store.

Sakura got back in the car and drove to her next destination.

They stopped in front of a makeup store. Sakura remembered she even bought some makeup from this store before she married Sasuke. She honestly missed those days before Naruto cheated on her, before she met Sasuke...she just wished everything would be happy again.

'I always wish for things too good to be true.' Sakura thought to herself as she got out of the car and walked into the makeup store.

"Hello-, Oh! Miss Haruno! What brings you here?" A young woman behind the cashier counter immediately smiled at the sight of her.

"I wanted to come check up on why the sales have been decreasing lately." Sakura replied.

"A...ah...I see..." The woman paused. "...I honestly don't know. I've been getting less and less customers lately. And I don't have any ideas how to increase my sales...I could possibly go bankrupt if no one buys anything within this week."

"Have you tried discounts on certain makeup brands? Or have you made any special offers...um...like, buy one and get one free? Those kinds of things usually attract customers." Sakura suggested.

"I have tried discounts...but I've never made any special offers. Will that work?" The woman asked hopefully, clasping her hands together.

"I'm pretty sure it will. Try that...and if you're still getting no customers, then call the company. We'll do something about it." Sakura gave her a smile before turning around to go.

"Ah, thank you, Miss Haruno!"

Sakura glanced back and nodded before exiting the store.

'Ok...one more store to-,' She closed her eyes tightly when a sharp pain went through her head. "Ugh...stupid headache..."

She felt a little weak too...probably because she hadn't eaten anything yet. But she wasn't really hungry anyways.

Sakura got back into the car as they drove to the last store. She whimpered when the sharp pain went through her head again.

"Miss...are you alright?" The driver asked, glancing back worriedly.

"I...I'm fine. Keep driving. We just have one more store to go to and then we'll go back to the company..." Sakura replied reassuringly.

But she closed her eyes tightly when the pounding in her head wouldn't stop. It hurt so much that she felt tears coming. 'I'm fine, I'm fine. It'll go away...I'm just probably having migraines from not sleeping at all last night...'

* * *

Sasuke entered into his office and saw two cups of coffee. 'Tch...did she think giving me coffee will make me forgive her? She's so stupid.' Sasuke glared.

He walked over to his desk and sat down, narrowing his eyes when he realized Sakura's cup was full. Did she not drink any? Where was she anyway?

"She better not be slacking off somewhere..." Sasuke pushed her cup away from him and drank his own.

He noticed the computer was already on and saw that three stores' sales were going down. "What the hell...every store was selling great just a few days ago." Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh as he got up and exited his office.

"Hey," He called to one of the employees. "I'm gonna go check up on some stores. Where is my wife? Did she even come yet?"

"She came really early...she already left half an hour ago to go check on stores that were decreasing in sales, so you don't need to worry about it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Why the hell was she working so efficiently? Was it to make it up for slapping Karin? 'She's honestly really stupid if she thinks I'll just forgive her that easily. She fucking slapped Karin for god's sake...' Sasuke shook his head and walked back to his office.

* * *

After visiting the last shop, her driver dropped her back off at the company.

She hesitated going in...Sasuke probably was there already and he was still mad at her. "Why should I even care? I didn't do anything wrong...truth is...she deserved it." Sakura muttered to herself and proceeded going in the company.

"...Sakura."

She nearly jumped at that familiar voice. She turned around to see Gaara closing his car door.

"G...Gaara...?"

Gaara smirked at her. "Why are you so surprised to see me?"

"It's just...people will get the wrong idea. You know how the media jumps to conclusion if I'm just with a guyfriend." Sakura replied as she turned to go.

"Wait." Gaara called and grabbed her wrist. Sakura turned back and gave him a warning look. Gaara let go of her, seeing her expression. "Alright, alright...I won't do anything. I just wanted to talk. Do you have time?"

"Time for what? I'm busy. I need to keep up with the company work and as well as homework for school at the same time. I don't have any free time," Sakura shook her head.

"...just for a little while? A cup of coffee or tea? I haven't seen you in a few days...I wanna talk. Hangout for a while." Gaara suggested.

"Um, not now. I-,"

"Then later? How about around three? I'll park somewhere safe so no one will see you come in my car."

Sakura thought for a while. She really didn't want to to go, but then it would be rude to reject his offer. "...ok then. I'll meet you at three."

"Cool. Then I'll be waiting." Gaara smiled faintly at her before walking away.

Sakura sighed and continued walking into the company. There were too much things going on lately.

"Miss Haruno!" An employee called out her name."The contract signed by the Inuzuka company just came in."

The employee handed the contract to Sakura. "Oh, finally...thank you." Sakura nodded and took a look at it.

'Wow, it finally came in. So we'll be combining our stores with theirs. It'll make good profit.' Sakura thought and smiled, thinking how happy Sasuke's father will be with the company's finance advancing higher.

"Um...has Sasuke come in yet?" Sakura asked the employee.

"Yes. He arrived a little after you left to go check on the stores. He's currently in his office right now..."

"I see. That's good, then. Are there any meetings today?"

The employee looked down at her clipboard and shuffled through some papers. "Ah...yes. There's a meeting with the Inuzuka company about the contract that just came in. It'll be in an hour. And there's also a meeting at five o'clock with the presidents of five other large companies."

Sakura groaned quietly. Two meetings in one day? "...alright, then. I'll go prepare for the meeting with the Inuzuka company."

* * *

Sasuke checked his schedule. It was only forty minutes until a meeting. 'I'm already stressed out enough and now there's two meetings today?'

He rolled his eyes, irritated by the fact that he was heir to the company. He glanced down at Sakura's coffee...why wasn't she back yet? He hovered his hand over the coffee and realized it wasn't even hot anymore.

'...whatever...' Sasuke shrugged it off and grabbed his own cup. He stood up and checked his watch. "Well. I might as well go early."

* * *

Sakura came in the meeting room but it was empty. "I guess I'm too early..." She shrugged and sat down in a chair, propping her elbows on the table.

She closed her eyes and laid her head down, sighing in relief when the pounding in her head subsided a little. Her thoughts flashed back to this morning when she slapped Karin. Why couldn't Sasuke notice that Karin was just all _**fake**_? Her fake expressions, her fake cries, her fake tears...why couldn't he see through all that?

"Because he's stupid." Sakura muttered to herself.

Even if he was going to be mad at her forever, she won't say she's sorry. 'I'm not the one at fault here.' Sakura thought and sat back up. She looked at the time...it was only ten minutes before the Inuzuka company would be arriving. Other employees should be arriving soon, too.

Sakura was taken by surprise when she heard the door click open. She turned to see who it was and froze when she saw Sasuke.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes when he saw her. He didn't even greet her and walked to the end of the table instead of sitting next to her.

Sakura averted her gaze away from him and looked down at the table, grasping her skirt tightly.

"...I won't apologize."

Sasuke jerked up his head. "What?" He hissed.

Sakura took a deep breath. "I won't apologize."

Sasuke couldn't believe this. She slapped Karin, and now she won't even say sorry for it? "You have no sense of pride-,"

"No, Sasuke. I have my pride. That's exactly why I slapped her." Sakura argued back.

"She didn't do anything-,"

"She_** threatened**_ me." Sakura cut him off again.

Sasuke just laughed it off. "I know Karin. She would never do that. You need to stop making up lies, Sakura."

"Well, apparently, you don't know her well enough-,"

"I've been with her for two years! Don't tell me that I don't_ know_ her enough," Sasuke glared at her.

"You're really a jerk, you know that? You go judging the situation when you don't even know what really happened!"

"Then tell me, Sakura, what really happened, hm? Because I already saw with my own eyes what happened-,"

"She threatened me that she will do something to me if I don't stay away from you." Sakura muttered. "She told me that...last night...you two slept together..."

Sasuke stayed quiet. "...so what if we did...? It has nothing to do with you."

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. He just admitted that he really did do it...he really slept with Karin. She was so disgusted just thinking about it. "Because you're my husband, Sasuke..."

"We're fake-,"

"You tell me not to see other guys, but yet, you keep going to Karin. If you can't stick to your own rules, then I won't either. You're the one who said even though this marriage is fake, you still don't want me seeing other guys." Sakura paused. "...if you keep seeing Karin, it's not fair to me. From now on, I'll hangout with any guy I want, and you better not interfere."

"Why are you using my words against me-,"

"Because, Sasuke!" Sakura was getting frustrated. Why couldn't he just understand her for once? "Maybe_** I**_ get jealous when I see you together with another girl, too!"

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"I don't know why, but I always get sad whenever you go to Karin, and I lied to your parents yesterday so they wouldn't know where you were, and in the end, you just go and get drunk and..." Sakura couldn't even finish the sentence. She didn't want to.

"...I barely ate dinner and I even waited all night for you. I didn't even sleep at all last night because I was too worried about you..." Sakura muttered.

"I...I never asked you to wait for me-,"

"Then you should've called back my 10 calls or responded to my 20 texts!" Sakura glared at him and stood up too quickly. She winced when her head started throbbing and she wavered a bit, holding on the table for support.

"S...Sakura?" Sasuke immediately got up and was about to run over to her, but she stopped him.

"I'm fine." Sakura lied as she turned around to go. "I'll be absent from this meeting...I'll tell one of the employees to give you the contract with the Inuzuka company." She replied before walking out of the room.

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists and frowned. Now that he thought about it, he didn't remember having his phone with him. And she looked really pale...she was even about to faint. Did she really stay awake the whole night just because she was worried about him?

"Sakura..."

* * *

As soon as she was outside, Sakura groaned and leaned her head on the door. Her vision was starting to blur, so she blinked a few times.

"...I guess...I can just go hangout with Gaara for a little while..." She murmured to herself.

Steadily, she backed away from the door and made her way to the elevator.

She found it harder than ever to walk in her high heels.

* * *

Gaara narrowed his eyes when he saw Sakura come out of the company. He looked at the time and it wasn't even three o'clock yet.

But as he gazed back at her, he realized that she looked a little_** too**_ tired. Immediately, he got out of the car and ran over to her.

Sakura gasped in surprise when Gaara suddenly held her shoulder. "...you ok?"

'Y...yea. Just a little stressed from all the work." Sakura forced a smile at him.

"Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded.

"But why are you out so early?"

"Um...just wanted to take a break early. So, where are you taking me?"

Gaara slowly walked her over to his car. "Just a coffee cafe. Like I said, I just want to talk..." He replied and opened the door for her.

Sakura was about to get in, but stopped when she heard someone call her name. She and Gaara both turned to see Sasuke running out the company and coming towards them.

He glared, seeing Gaara holding the door for Sakura.

Sakura was surprise...did he actually just run after her?

"...you're not attending the meeting...just so you could be with **_him_**? I thought you said you two were only friends. You probably even faked that you were about to faint just so you could get out, huh?" Sasuke looked at her coldly.

Sakura could. not. believe. this. She's honestly getting tired his selfishsness. "I already told you that you can't interfere with who I meet." She simply replied before getting in the car.

"Get out." Sasuke was about to pull her out, but Gaara blocked the way.

"You seriously have no respect for her, Sasuke." Gaara closed the car door and locked it so Sakura wouldn't hear them. "...wouldn't it be better if you two just divorce now? Forget about the original plan, and just do it sooner? I mean, the media and paparazzi will be all over the place, but at least you can go back to Karin. The company is in good shape now, so you really don't need her anymore...besides...there's no love in this marriage...so like she said, you really shouldn't interfere with who she meets." He replied and turned to go.

Sasuke grabbed his shoulder. "Why are you doing this?"

Gaara merely just shrugged his hand off. "...because...she deserves better. And if she leaves you sooner..." He smirked. "...then it means she can come to me instead."

Sasuke felt the urge to just punch him, right then and there. "Don't touch her-,"

"Hn. Why? Because she's yours? She never was, and never will be...unless..." Gaara glanced back him slightly. "...unless she really means something to you. Unless...you're falling in love with her. You're not in love with her, right?" He lips curved into a victorious smile when he saw Sasuke's speechless expression.

Sasuke couldn't answer. Because he really didn't know the answer. He averted his eyes to Sakura in the car, and sighed in relief when he saw that she wasn't even paying attention to them.

Gaara didn't wait for an answer and just walked over to the other side of the car and went in.

Sasuke watched as they drove off and clenched his hands into fists. Seeing her go with Gaara...he couldn't stand it.

_'Unless...you're falling in love with her. You're not in love with her, right?'_ Gaara's words rang in his mind.

Sasuke shook his head. Yes, he definitely cared for her. "...but there's no way...that I would fall in love with Sakura."

* * *

Sakura looked in her rearview mirror as they drove away. She kept her eyes on Sasuke.

Gaara noticed this and his hopes gradually went down when he saw her expression. She looked...hurt.

"Sakura...?"

"I don't get him." Sakura muttered. "He's always going to Karin, but he never lets me go out with you or any other guy. Why can't he see that sometimes I get jealous, too? That I can't stand seeing him with Karin?"

Gaara's eyes widened. "Why?"

Sakura didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to_ know_ what she was feeling. She didn't want to know the _reason_ behind her jealousy.

Gaara narrowed his eyes when she wouldn't answer. Why did she and Sasuke both stay quiet whenever he asked about something relating to their love life? Did they already...fall in love with each other, but just denied it?

"Sakura. Will you answer me truthfully?"

"...about what?"

They were coming to a red light, so Gaara stepped on the breaks.

"Is Sasuke important to you?"

Sakura looked down at her lap. "Of...of course."

"Then tell me honestly..." Gaara paused. "...if you're jealous of him seeing Karin, and he's important to you, and you get worried about, you care for him and although you're his fake wife, you support him...does that mean..." He hesitated to say it. Because he didn't know whether he wanted to know the answer either.

"What are you trying to say?" Sakura shook her head.

"Sakura..." Gaara gripped tightly on the steering wheel.

"Do you love him?"

* * *

**I'll end it here :)**

**Next chapter will be up very soon! Look forward to more romance...I guarentee it ^_^**

**REVIEW!  
**


	23. Because You're More Important

**Because You're More Important  
**

_*I've been getting alot of criticism about my story, "My Lovely Maid" and how it's not as good as this one._

_I agree :) _

_I personally HAVE grown in writing experiences since that story, and I'm having alot more fun writing this one. Thanks for your support & check out my other stories, too :)  
_

* * *

Throughout the entire meeting, Sasuke couldn't stop thinking about Sakura.

He was even more pissed off at her than ever. She slapped Karin. She argued with him. She didn't even attend this meeting. She went with Gaara.

It was just anger after anger after anger. He swore he would explode from all the emotions he was feeling.

After the meeting was over, he called in Fugaku's office that he'll be taking the day off from the company. Sasuke went out to his car and proceeded to drive home.

Just as he was starting to drive, his phone rang. He looked at the caller I.D. and immediately answered it.

"Karin?"

_"Sasuke...can we hangout today?"_

"But...last night, we already..." Sasuke bit his lower lip, unable to say it.

_"Ugh, I just want to spend the day with you. I know it's still early and the paparazzi could be following you anywhere, but I want to see you. Can we just meet in private somewhere?"_

"Karin...it's not that I don't want to, but I just have alot of things on my mind...I can't meet you right now." Sasuke sighed.

_"Fine, I see how it is!" _

"Really, I'm stressed out right now and I need a break right now. Besides, we just saw each other this morning..."

_"A break? From** me**?"_

"You know that's not what I meant..."

_"Then meet with me!"_

"Karin-,"

_"At my house, ok? It's the safest place." _She hung up.

Sasuke groaned and rolled his eyes. It's not that he didn't want to meet her...it's just...well, ok, he really _didn't_ want to meet her right now, considering how things were going lately, but what the hell...he had to.

"Ah, geez..." He sighed in frustration and drove to her place.

* * *

Sakura blinked a few times. Did he just really ask her that?

"Gaara...I...I don't...I don't think I can answer that..."

"Why? Is it because you really are in love with him?"

Sakura shook her head. "No...it's just...I don't know yet."

Gaara frowned. "There's supposed to be no-,"

"-love in this marriage." Sakura finished. "But I know that I care for him more than I should...and I really don't know what these feelings are. I don't _want_ to know."

The light turned green and Gaara stepped on the gas. "...if you don't want to know...then I'm not going to stop."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I'm not going to stop." Gaara repeated. "Until you're mine...I'm going to keep pursuing you until the end of this marriage."

Sakura blushed. "Why...?"

Gaara just smirked. "Well, obviously, Sakura...because I like you."

Sakura gulped and looked away nervously. Wow. He just admitted it like it was nothing.

Gaara hesitated, but slowly, he reached over and grabbed her hand.

Sakura was too nervous to move, so she stayed frozen, looking out the window.

Seeing that she made no move to pull away, he made a small smile and entangled his fingers around hers.

Sakura couldn't help but think of Sasuke. She remembered the first few times they've held hands and how he had made her heart race. She wondered how life would be like when the marriage ended...she couldn't even imagine it anymore...she couldn't imagine a life without Sasuke. It's like, fiction had become reality; like he really was her husband; like this marriage really was real.

'But it's not...' She reminded herself. '...because it's all going to end in less than 2 months.'

Gaara averted his eyes to her and noticed her troubled expression. It seemed like she's been so stressed out and distant ever since this morning. 'If I was Sasuke...I'd make you smile everyday. I could treat you better than he does...' He thought and parked as soon as they reached the coffee cafe. He gently let go of her hand and got out of the car, walking over to her side.

He opened the door for her and closed it when she got out.

Sakura hung her head low and dug in her bag for her sunglasses and scarf.

Gaara watched in amusement as she put the glasses on and tied the scarf around her head, hovering over her face a little.

"This way, people won't really notice me..." Sakura explained and smiled.

"Ah." Gaara nodded and reached out his hand to her.

Sakura was hesitant to hold it and looked away.

Gaara just smirked and grabbed her hand anyway, dragging her with him into the cafe. "So...what do you want to drink? Or eat?" He asked as they both sat at a table with two chairs.

"I'm really not hungry." Sakura shook her head.

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "...Sakura..." Without warning, he reached over and pressed his palm on her forehead.

"...are you sure you're ok? You're very warm and you look so pale...you looked really tired when you came out of the company earlier, too. If you're sick, tell me."

Sakura just shook her head again. "I'm fine, really, Gaara. You said you wanted to talk, right?" She quickly changed the subject.

Gaara sighed, not really believing that she was ok, but he shrugged the feeling off. "Yea...so..." He paused, thinking for a while. "...about that kiss."

Sakura blushed, recalling the kiss she and Sasuke shared in front of everyone.

"You didn't pull away that time. And I swear I even saw you kiss him back. Was that kiss really just to show your 'relationship' or was it...real?"

Sakura gazed down at her lap. "It was just to show our relationship..." She answered quietly.

"Really?" Gaara could tell she was hiding something. "Tell me the truth, Sakura. You don't have to lie about anything."

She bit her bottom lip and wasn't sure if she should say it. She wasn't even sure about it. Sasuke said that kiss meant alot...but he didn't answer what he meant when he said that because Karin called and interrupted. She was really growing to dislike Karin the more she thought about it.

Seeing how she had no intentions of answering, he decided not to talk about it anymore. "So, anyway...when this marriage ends..." He stopped for a moment, trying to think of the right words. "...I'd like you to consider giving me a chance."

Sakura looked up at him with a confused expression.

"Like I've said so many times...I won't stop until you're mine. So after this marriage, if you don't mind, I'd like you to consider going out with me. But because you probably won't be able to contact with Sasuke again after the divorce, I'll respect your decision if you choose to not know me. We'll be in different worlds once you divorce with Sasuke...you'll be just another normal girl and Sasuke will soon be the heir of the company, with me and the others being elite members of the company."

Sakura had never thought about that. It was true...once this marriage was over, she would be completely gone from their lives, and they would be gone from hers. She would be just another girl they passed by on the street.

Thinking about that, she didn't want to end the marriage now. Being friends with Suigetsu and the other guys, she didn't want to lose them. And Sasuke's parents as well...they were like her own...she couldn't possibly just leave them. She didn't know if she could bear seeing Mikoto crying once she divorces Sasuke.

And speaking of Sasuke...she knew she would never forget him even if they divorced.

Everything was so complicated now.

Sakura closed her eyes tightly when the sudden throbbing in her head came back. She let out a small gasp and took off her sunglasses, placing her hand over her forehead, trying to massage the pain away.

Gaara immediately stood up and leaned down towards her. "Sakura?" He placed a finger under her chin and raised her head up so she could look at him. His eyes widened when he saw tears at the corner of her eyes.

"My...my head really hurts..." Sakura stuttered.

'I knew it. Something _was_ wrong.' Gaara looked at her worriedly and helped her up.

"Take me home..." She whispered and winced when it felt like the inside of her brain was getting punched.

Without wasting a second, he just suddenly swept her off her feet and carried her over to the car, not caring that everyone was looking at him.

He put her in gently and rushed over to his side and drove to Sasuke's house.

* * *

Sasuke looked around before getting out of his car.

He walked up the steps and knocked on the door.

As soon as the door opened, Karin jumped out and hugged him. "What took you so long?"

"I just had to make sure the media wasn't following me." Sasuke replied and looked at her, noticing that there was a bandage on her cheek.

"Aaah, I see. Come on...I already told one of the chefs to prepare lunch for us. I feel so bad for you since you have to wake up so early to work at the company, and keep up with school at the same time." Karin linked her arm with is and leaned on his shoulder.

"...so...what did your_ wife_ say after I left?" She scoffed.

"Sakura wouldn't apologize. She said it wasn't her fault...she said that...you threatened her. You didn't do that, did you?" Sasuke stared at her.

"Why would I do that?" Karin blinked innocently. "You know I would never do anything like that...don't you trust me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke hugged her shoulders. "If you say you didn't do it, then of course I believe you. I know you wouldn't do that. I just wanted to confirm that she was lying to me." He paused. "So then, why exactly did she slap you?"

'Shit...' Karin cursed. She didn't think up of an excuse to tell him. "Um...I...I just told her that you spent the night at my place. She argued that since you're her husband, I have no right to just meet up with you whenever I like. And I said that you were my husband to be exact...and actually..." Karin had a idea.

"...Actually..._**she**_ was the one who threatened me. She said if I don't stay away from you, I'll regret it. She'll do something to me if I keep meeting with you and I didn't even have time to answer before she slapped me. I just tried to defend our relationship, Sasuke."

Sasuke glared. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! Why would I lie?" Karin crossed her arms. "Besides, you even saw her slap me! I'm telling the truth! Sasuke, it would be better if you end the marriage sooner. I mean, the news and media will be all up in your business, but they'll calm down within a week. It'll be no big deal."

"I...I can't do that. I have to stick to the original plan. It'll only be 2 more months...just bear with it, Karin."

Karin narrowed her eyes. "Why do you HAVE to? I bet the only reason why you're not divorcing her sooner is because you probably don't even want to, huh? You want to stay with her instead of marrying _**me**_ because you don't even love me-,"

"Karin!" Sasuke glared coldly at her.

Karin just let out a pout and rolled her eyes at him.

"You _know_ I love you. It's just that things are too complicated right now. I can't just divorce her after I proved our relationship was going fine. It'll be a big chaos if I do it too soon. You just have to wait, ok?"

Karin just ignored him and turned away from him.

Sasuke sighed and hugged her from behind. "Please? For me?" He replied gently and kissed her head.

Ugh...Karin hated when he did that. She rolled her eyes again, but turned around and pecked him on the cheek. "Fine."

"Good..." Sasuke smiled at her as they both went inside the house.

* * *

Mikoto told Gaara to bring Sakura into the living room and hurriedly closed the door.

'It'll be bad if this gets out to the public...' She thought as she quickly ran over to the living room.

"Sakura, honey? Are you ok?" Mikoto looked at her worriedly. She looked a little too pale...there wasn't any color on her lips.

"Gaara, how did this happen?"

"I don't know. She looked a little weary when she came in my car. We went for some coffee and after a while of talking she just said her head was hurting really bad...so that's why I rushed over here." Gaara explained, holding Sakura's hand tightly.

Mikoto sighed and took out her phone. She called Sasuke...but he didn't pick up. "Where is he? My husband said he'll be home because he wanted a day off, but he's not even here yet."

'Probably with Karin...' Gaara thought and shook his head.

Mikoto called a few more times, but gave up and knelt down by Sakura. "Sakura? Why are you so sick? You look so weak," She stroked Sakura's hair softly.

"I...I just didn't get any sleep last night...and...I haven't eaten anything all day-," Sakura inhaled when an excruciating pain went through her head. Gaara held her hand tighter when she whimpered a little. 'Damnit, Sasuke...why aren't you answering?' He was texting to Sasuke on his other hand.

"Watch her, ok? I'll go tell the chefs to make some soup-,"

"She needs to go to the doctor. If her head is hurting this much, just a little soup won't help," Gaara suggested.

"Ah, alright," Mikoto agreed and nodded her head. "Take her to the hospital first. I'll call my husband and try to find Sasuke."

Gaara nodded. He picked up Sakura and held her tightly when she grasped onto his shirt. "Gaara, I don't need to go to the hospital. I'm fine..." Sakura murmured.

"No, you're not. I'm taking you whether you like it or not." Gaara simply replied before walking out.

* * *

Sasuke waited in the living room while Karin was preparing the dishes for lunch.

'Tch. Sakura's probably having fun on her little date with Gaara...' Sasuke thought scornfully.

He wanted to divorce her because of all the things that's happening...but there was a part of him that didn't entirely want to part from her yet. He didn't know what that feeling was, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know.

Sasuke stood up and was taken by surprise when his foot hit something. He looked down to see part of his phone underneath the couch. 'Did I leave it here last night?' He reached down and picked it up, only to find it was shut off. "Probably out of battery...?"

He turned it on and realized that the battery was still fully charged. 'Then...why was it off?' He narrowed his eyes.

He checked his mail and gasped when he saw 10 calls from Sakura yesterday and 25 texts. 'So she wasn't lying...' He was feeling really guilty now. Maybe Sakura was telling the truth after all?

Sasuke continued checking and realized there were 8 recent calls from him mom and 5 texts from Gaara. He dialed Gaara's number and called him. 'I wonder why everyone's contacting me so much?'

_"Sasuke?"_

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, rather harshly. He was still a little irritated at Gaara.

_"Where the hell are you?"_

"...I'm with Karin, why?"

_"Tch, I knew it. You need to get over here, **now**_."

"What are you talking about? Why the hell would I want to be there with you and Sakura spending time together-,"

_"We're at the hospital!"_

Sasuke froze. His lips trembled a little. "W...why...?"

_"Because it's all your damn fault! Sakura just told me everything...you spent the night with Karin and you even** did it** with Karin! You're really despicable, you know that? She waited all night for you, she hasn't eaten or drank anything in the last 17 hours and she's even refusing to eat the hospital food. She looks so pale right now and the doctor said she's experiencing really excruciating migraines from the lack of sleep and food. Plus, the stress of all the work at the company is building up on her, and adding on top of that, school work, too. She's not used to it, Sasuke!"_

Sasuke remembered how she almost fainted earlier at the meeting room...so that wasn't fake? She was really sick. "Gaara, I'll be right there."

_"It's all your fucking fault. You don't deserve someone as good as her!" _Gaara hung up.

Sasuke's hands were shaking as he closed the phone. Without another thought he turned to go, but someone grabbed his arm.

"Where the hell are you going?" Karin narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sakura's at the hospital. I need to go, right now," Sasuke replied quickly and tried to take her hand off his arm.

"She's just probably faking it! Think about it! Right after slapping me, she just suddenly starts getting sick and now she's at the damn hospital? That's a little too fake, don't you think?" Karin glared at him.

"I'm sorry, Karin, but I have to make sure she's ok," Sasuke once again struggled to go.

"Damn it, Sasuke! She's faking it!" Karin wouldn't let go of him.

"She's sick _because_ of _**me**_! I have to see her!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"If you leave, then I'm breaking up with you!" Karin threatened. She sighed in victory and loosened his grip on him when he suddenly froze.

Sasuke swallowed. Karin's eyes widened when he jerked his arm from her. "I'm sorry, Karin..." He replied before running out the door.

Karin stood there in disbelief. Did he just really do that? That was basically saying that it was**_ ok_** if they broke up!

She clenched her hands into fists and glared at the ground. "...I'll make that girl disappear...just watch, Sasuke...you two will be broken up very soon..."

* * *

Sakura tried to sit up, but Gaara gently pushed her down. "You need to rest, Sakura..."

Sakura pouted, but she obeyed and leaned back on the bed.

"You have to eat-,"

"I'm not hungry." Sakura interrupted.

"It doesn't matter. You _**need**_ to eat something." Gaara scolded.

"I don't want to."

"Sakura..." Gaara picked up the food tray. "...I'll_ feed_ you if I have to."

Sakura shook her head. "I really don't want to eat. Just...leave me alone for a while, please?" She closed her eyes and turned so that her back was facing him.

Gaara was about to argue, but he just decided to let it go. She was tired and needed some rest after all...he wouldn't disturb her. "Then I'll be waiting outside the room." He replied and set the food tray back down before exiting the room.

As soon as she heard the door close, Sakura opened her eyes again. She had overhead Gaara's conversation on the phone with Sasuke. She was pissed off that he was with Karin again. 'He probably won't even come...' She thought and fluttered her eyes closed when her head was throbbing a little. 'I should...just sleep a little...'

* * *

Gaara sat on the waiting chairs with his hands clamped together. He looked at the time and realized it was already 20 minutes after he had made the call to Sasuke.

"Tch. He probably won't even come if he's with Karin." Gaara shook his head.

He admitted that he was a little jealous of Sasuke. Sakura waited all night for him to come home... but it was all his fault that Sakura was like this.

He was sure that he'll beat Sasuke up once he saw him. He was so irritated about the fact that Sakura knows Sasuke and Karin slept together. 'That bastard...I'll make him pay for hurting her like this...'

Gaara was torn from his thoughts when he heard footsteps coming really fast in his direction. He looked up and was surprised to see an exhausted and worried looking Sasuke, panting for breath.

"Is she ok?" Sasuke asked immediately.

"So you really came." Gaara stood up and grabbed his collar harshly. "I'll never forgive you if you do this to her again..." He whispered coldly.

Sasuke didn't pay attention to him. "You can beat me up all you want later. I admit it's my fault, ok?" He grabbed Gaara's hand and pushed him out of the way. "I just want to fucking see her!"

He didn't waste any time as he burst into the room.

Sakura nearly jumped and turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw Sasuke.

Sasuke walked over to her and gazed her worriedly. Gaara was right...she looked so pale and weak. "Sakura...?" He bent down slightly and reached for her.

Sakura shivered at his touch when he gently cupped her cheek and caressed it with his thumb.

Meanwhile, Gaara was in the background, clearly irritated by the scene. But judging by the look on Sakura's face, he knew she was glad that Sasuke came. Gaara sighed and just closed the door, deciding that it'd be best not to disturb them.

Sakura couldn't believe he actually came. "I...I thought you were with Karin..."

"I was. But I came after I got a call from Gaara. I didn't know that...that you were really sick...and it's because of me...and..." Sasuke was too guilty and was at loss of words.

"I'm fine, now, Sasuke. You didn't have to come." Sakura replied, but deep down, she was jealous that he probably didn't want to leave Karin.

"Yes I did!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I accused you of faking a faint at the meeting room earlier...and...and I didn't even take it seriously when you told me that you hadn't slept or eaten all night...and it's just all my fault..."

Sakura gazed at him and felt his fingers shaking.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." Sasuke looked at her apologetically. "...I would never intentionally hurt you, Sakura...ever..."

Sakura could feel her heartbeat rising. That loving look he was giving her...it couldn't be real. She didn't believe it. It was too good to be true, and she didn't want to be naive and decieve herself.

She grabbed his hand and took it off her cheek. "...the one hurting...is probably Karin...I was the one who slapped her. You're probably happy that I'm in this state. I deserve it for hurting her like that." She replied quietly.

Sasuke didn't know what to say.

"She probably got mad because you came, right? I'm fine now, so you could back to her and apologize...Gaara's taking care of me anyway." Sakura forced a smile at him. "It's not your fault. It was my own stupidity because I waited for you...and...I shouldn't even be angry because you slept with her...after all, she's going to be your real wife."

Sakura ushered him to go and gently pushed him away.

Sasuke hesitated to go, but he turned around and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Sakura looked away and let out a shaky sigh. She honestly wanted to burst out saying that she wanted him to stay...that she didn't want him to go back to Karin...but then, seeing him give her that worried look, she couldn't bear to see it again. It made her feel so pitiful that she made him feel guilty.

Sasuke slowly turned the doorknob, but stopped and glanced back at her. He gazed at her and completely went stiff when he saw a tears drip down her eyes. 'She's...she's crying...'

He took his hand off the doorknob and turned around to face her.

When Sakura saw him at the corner of her eyes, she looked up, surprised that he didn't leave yet.

Sasuke gazed at her and slowly, he once again reached for her, but this time...he wiped away her tears.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but gasped when Sasuke just suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

"S...Sasuke...?" She blushed.

"Don't cry. I'll stay with you..." He paused, not believing that he's even saying this right now. "...because right now, you're more important than her."

* * *

**Whew. This chapter went by fast...I wanted to get down all my ideas about Sakura being sick in this chapter and having Sasuke care about her.**

**Sorry if it was too rushed.**

**But more romance, like I promised, right? ;D**

**REVIEW and tell me how you liked it.  
**


	24. Confrontation

**Confrontation  
**

_*"N" For that one special reviewer, lol ;)_

_I will not include "him" in this story since I have no major role planned for him._

_*And for those who want me to change this story from a T rating to M rating...uh..._

_NO._

_I just don't...write stories like that. It's very uncomfortable to write about bed scenes, lol. I felt weird just typing about Karin trying to fake about sleeping with Sasuke -_-_

_ I keep it T rated and that's how far it'll go. So sorry :\_

_**And I made a mistake! Lol, on the last chapter, a little in a beginning, I made Sasuke use his phone even though he didn't have it because it was under Karin's couch x) My bad. **  
_

* * *

It was midnight.

Sasuke had decided to miss the meeting with the presidents of the top five companies because he wanted to stay with Sakura.

Fugaku and Mikoto came in to see how Sakura was doing and had to leave to tend to some business at the company.

Gaara left around eight o'clock, and told him to make sure Sakura eats...and he'll be sure to beat Sasuke up another time.

Sasuke set down the bowl of soup on the food tray. "You need to eat, Sakura. Ok?"

Sakura nodded. For some strange reason, she was hungry now. She picked up her spoon and drank the soup, sighing in content as it warmed her throat.

"The doctor said you could go home tomorrow morning..." Sasuke sat down in a chair next to her. "...you're ok now, right? Does your head hurt anymore?" He brushed away a few strands of hair behind her ear.

Sakura tensed at his touch. "...yea...I'm fine now." She gazed at him and wondered why he was so worried about her. "Sasuke, you can go home, now. I'll just call my driver to come pick me up tomorrow morning-,"

"I'm staying." Sasuke interrupted. "It was my fault that you're like this."

Sakura didn't say anything anymore and just stayed quiet. This all was too good to be true. Sasuke would rather stay with her?

She let out a sigh and finished her soup, pushing it aside.

"You should get some sleep. It's pretty late." Sasuke murmured as he pulled the bed covers up to her shoulders.

"You're really going to stay? Where are you gonna sleep?" Sakura questioned and looked at him curiously.

He just smiled at her and sat back down, scooting closer to her bed. He propped his elbows on the bed. "Just like this. It'll be like sleeping on a desk, so I'll be fine."

Sakura just nodded and fluttered her eyes closed. She felt Sasuke's hand travel under the blankets to hold her hand and smiled at the familiar feeling.

It was only a few minutes before she drifted off to sleep.

Sasuke gazed at her for a moment and admitted...she was actually more beautiful than Kain. He reached over and brushed away her bangs from her eyes and then trailed down his thumb over her lips. He remembered both of their kisses and it still got his heart racing no matter how many times he thought about it.

His phone suddenly beeped and he checked it, sighing when he saw over 20 text messages from Karin over the last hour. He glanced between Sakura and his phone, sighing again.

Hesitantly, he dialed Karin's phone number and called her.

_"What?"_

Damn. She sounded quite pissed off.

"I've had a lot of messages and calls from you...what do you want?" Sasuke talked quietly, careful not to wake Sakura.

_"Oh, so that's all you got to say after just ditching me like that?"_

"I'm sorry, Karin...it's just...I have to stay with Sakura..."

_"Did you forget that she slapped me just this morning? How could you just have such a change of personality? This is bullshit, Sasuke!"_

"Karin, I'm really sorry. I just can't leave Sakura when she's sick like this. She's really pale, and she hadn't slept or eaten at all because she was worried about me being over at your place."

_"Tch, why the hell is she worrying about you? This marriage is fake so she should just mind her own business! Are you more worried about her than me?"_

"Karin, you know it's not like that. Of course I'm worried for you, too, but Sakura's in the_** hospital**_ for god's sake..."

_"So what? I'm pretty sure there are other people to care for her. It's not like you have to be with her 24/7. It's so ridiculous!"_

"Karin...please understand. You don't know how bad I feel for causing this. I literally forced her to marry me just because she bumped into me in the streets, she's announced to the world as my wife, she is constantly getting nervous because she's not used to our world...she's just a normal girl. She isn't used to being followed by cameras, or having her every move watched, and she's also working in the company and keeping up with school work as well. It's hard on her...and I never realized that..." Sasuke sighed at his own stupidity. He never noticed just how much stress he had put on Sakura.

_"What are you saying? That you want to be there for her, or something? You just ditched me after I say I was going to break up with you...you left! Does that mean you're actually ok breaking up with me? After two whole years? After proposing to me? After all that's happened between us?" _Karin was literally screaming into the phone.

"I had no choice! I had to see if Sakura was ok. But I don't want to break up with you. I don't want to lose you, Karin, I really don't, but just please understand the situation right now. I didn't leave because I wanted to breakup...I just had no choice. You know I love you, right?" Sasuke gazed over at Sakura and lowered his voice, realizing that he was talking a bit too loud.

_"Damn it, Sasuke! You piss me off! Yes, I know you love me, but everything was so goddamn better before you married that girl! Do you even realize what she's doing to us? If you keep caring about her like this, there's no doubt that you'll develop feelings for her!"_

Sasuke swallowed and stayed quiet.

_"...Sasuke...?" _Karin paused. _"...don't tell me...you really do have feelings for her...?"_

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes tightly. He loved Karin. He really did. But then...there was a part of him that cared alot about Sakura. "I just...I'm just worried about her, that's all, Karin..."

_"...you're so confusing. One moment you promise that you don't have any feelings for her, and then the next, you completely say the opposite, telling me that you're worrying and caring about her. It would be better if you just really married her! You can just forget about **us**, Sasuke!"_

Sasuke was about to reply, but she hung up. "Damn it..." He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "...Karin..."

* * *

The next day, Sakura was signed out of the hospital and thankfully, the media didn't find out anything.

She stayed in bed all day just to rest up a little more and called in sick for school.

The couple following days, Karin didn't pick up any calls from Sasuke and he was honestly getting worried if she really meant it when she said she'll break up with him.

Fugaku also called for another party for the company to clear the misunderstandings in the last week.

Sasuke came in his office and sat down in a leather chair. "...another party? _**Tomorrow**_? Why must we have parties just to announce something?"

"It's not just that. You didn't even dance with Sakura because of all that...drama." Fugaku shook his head. "Anyway, having the last dance with her will prove further your relationship."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Seriously, father? I think that kiss at the press conference in front of everyone pretty much proved everything. Everything's already solved from last week, so I don't understand why you need to hold a party-,"

"If not a party, then will a small gathering be better? A private one? No cameras, no paparazzi to follow you around...just you, Sakura, me and your mother...as well as your friends and the family of the presidents of the top five companies? Will that be better?"

Sasuke clamped his hands together and averted his eyes away. "...yes."

Fugaku just smirked and leaned back in a chair. "I see you'll be an Uchiha company president who won't be allowing much media attention."

"I'm not like you. I prefer things to myself instead of announcing every single achievement at a party." Sasuke shrugged.

"Hm?" Fugaku made a small smile. "Sasuke, you need to understand that showing political and economic power is important. Showing every achievement helps people to notice this company and how these achievements will help the company rise."

"But we're already at the top. So why keep trying?"

Fugaku thought for a moment. "Hn. Good question." He paused. "But, you're still young. A couple more years and you'll get how competitive the business world is. As for now, you just need to keep learning as my heir so that you can become a successful leader of this industry. Go to your office...check on the stocks so far. I've heard from the employees that Sakura had already increased sales in three stores that were failing financially..." Fugaku gazed at Sasuke and made another smirk...accept, this one was more like a teasing smirk.

"She's doing well in this company. Probably better than you. She's mature for her age and who knows...I might just hand over this company to her instead of you. After all, this company was originally the Harunos..."

Sasuke just stared at him like he was crazy. Sakura? As a president...or rather, a _female_ president of the _**top**_ company in Japan? He couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Yea...yea, sure." He chuckled and walked out of the office, still laughing.

Fugaku let out a small sigh and looked down at his desk. "Choosing her as your wife was the smartest thing you've done as my heir. I guess I could say I'm proud of you, Sasuke..."

* * *

Sakura sat in bed, pouting. She was bored out her mind just sleeping in bed for nearly 3 days even though she's already out of the hospital.

'I'm fine already. My head doesn't hurt, and I'm eating, too. I don't get what the big deal is.' She slowly pushed the blanket away and got off the bed.

'I wonder how Sasuke's doing at the company.' Sakura crossed her arms and paced back and forth in the room. Her thoughts flashed back to when she had slapped Karin a few days ago.

"It's like...he doesn't even care about that anymore. He's not even angry with me anymore..."

She was relieved, but at the same time, she was doubtful because he might still be angry with her, but just isn't showing it. 'What if he's really still mad at me?' She didn't want to see that angry expression again...especially towards her.

Sakura heard the door slide open and she saw Sasuke come in, dressed up in his suit.

"...will you be ok to go to school tomorrow?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Alright then. You should rest-,"

"I'm tired of_ resting_. Can I please come to the company and work or something?" Sakura argued.

"You're still-,"

"I'm fine." Sakura sighed. "I was just overly exhausted...but I'm fine now, Sasuke. So please, can I at least go out?"

Sasuke looked at her, hesitating.

"Are you still mad at me? Is that why you're not letting me go out?" She stared at him doubtfully.

Sasuke averted his eyes down to the ground. Of course, he hadn't forgotten about that incident yet, but he wasn't entirely all that mad anymore. "...no. That's not it. I'm just worrying about you, Sakura. But tell me the truth...what really happened between you and Karin? Why exactly did you do that?"

"I already told you." Sakura simply stated.

"You told me that she threatened you, but...but she told me that _**you**_ threatened her. So what's the real story?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Sakura was out of patience for Karin. She actually dared to twist the story to Sasuke? And knowing Sasuke's relationship with Karin, Sakura couldn't deny that he'll believe Karin's story over hers. "Nevermind, Sasuke. You don't need to know anyway..."

"Why? I want to know, so tell me." He demanded.

"...I'm thirsty. I'm going to get a drink, whether you let me out or not." Sakura completely avoided his statement started walking towards the door.

Sasuke went after and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Sakura, this'll be easier if you just tell me the truth-,"

"I already did!" Sakura glared at him and shook his hand off. She couldn't tolerate this ridiculous act with Karin and Sasuke anymore. She scanned her thumb and once the door slid open, she immediately walked out.

Sasuke stepped out also, but he froze in his place, knowing that it's probably not the best idea to go after her right now. But was she telling the truth? Did Karin really threaten her?

She looked so serious, so she couldn't possibly be lying...but then...that would mean Karin _made the whole thing up_.

* * *

Sakura sat downstairs at the dining table, sipping a small cup of tea. Karin really deserved a second slapping to that _pretty_ little face of hers.

'If only Sasuke realized how she really is...I can't believe after 2 years with her, he doesn't get tired of that personality.' Sakura groaned in frustration. Sasuke deserved better...but it was his own fault for being such a dumbass.

She remembered when they first bumped into each other, when he just forced her to marry him, and those first few weeks of teasing each other...and those moments where he had her heart racing.

Sakura was tired of it. She was tired of everything. If only she hadn't met Sasuke. If only she didn't meet Naruto. If only she wasn't friends with Hinata.

Everything would've been better.

She wouldn't have had to feel so betrayed by Naruto and Hinata, and right after that, get forced into this marriage, and now, facing a bullshit load of drama.

Sakura laid her head on the table and tapped her cup lightly. About Hinata and Naruto...she was sure that she was ready. Yes, she was still hurt, but she couldn't just stay mad at them forever.

"I guess...I should just tell them that I forgive them...that way, I'll be able to let go of everything. Naruto will never come back to me and Hinata will never be the same friend...everything won't be the same anyways." She was going to tell them tomorrow. She wanted to settle everything with them so there would be no more holding grudges.

And Sasuke. She didn't even want to deal with him anymore. She hated the fact that she was so irritated just because of him. She hated how she didn't know why or what this feeling was, but she was sure that she didn't want to progress it any further.

Her thoughts wandered to Karin again. Slowly, Sakura sat up and stared down at the table blankly. 'I'm gonna go talk to her...'

Her fists clenched tightly. This was just getting ridiculous how Karin was acting and it pissed her off to no end.

Sakura stood up and looked at herself, shrugging, since it'll be ok if she just went out a simple white dress. She walked over to the door, grabbed a small cardigan to cover her a little, and went out.

She quickly called her personal driver and got in, fixing on the cardigan as she sat in the car.

Sakura sighed determinedly and closed the car door. She felt a little threatened considering the fact that Karin was just threatening her about a week ago, but she wanted to go confront Karin anyway.

"...let's see what she has to say."

* * *

**Well! Next chapter will be coming soon!**

**REVIEW and tell me how you like it so far.**

**Ready to see what's coming next in the talk between Karin and Sakura? ;) **

**Hehe. I'll leave your curiosity at that.  
**


	25. I Can't Decide

**I Can't Decide  
**

_*Here's the next chapter :)_

_Read, Review and Enjoy!_

* * *

Sasuke came downstairs and ended spending quite some time looking for Sakura.

'What the hell? Where did she go?' He came in the dining room and saw her cup of tea she was drinking earlier. "Where did my wife go?" He asked one of the chefs.

"She left about twenty minutes ago. She didn't say anything..." The chef replied.

Sasuke sighed and narrowed his eyes. "Is she that mad at me? Then is she telling me the truth?"

He didn't want to believe it. Sakura seemed to be telling the truth, but at the same time, he didn't want to believe that Karin would make all that up just to cause all this trouble. 'Did I really sleep with Karin, too, then? Is that all fake?' He was starting to doubt more and more. He couldn't grasp the reality that Karin would do something like that.

"I have to go ask Karin...she has to tell me the truth."

* * *

Sakura stepped out of the car and took a deep breath.

She closed the car door behind her and went up the steps to the door. She raised her hand up to knock, but hesitated. She couldn't deny that she was a little intimidated by Karin after what had happened.

But she gathered all her courage and knocked on the door. No one answered.

Sakura knocked a couple more times and stepped back when the door creaked open.

Karin popped her head out and was taken by surprise when she saw Sakura. "You...what the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to talk..." Sakura paused. "...about Sasuke."

Karin just glared at her and came out the doorway, crossing her arms. "Do you think I'm stupid? After you steal him away from me, after you faked that you were sick so he couldn't be with me, do you think I would just easily forgive you and have nice little chat? We're not even talking now because of you!"

"I didn't fake that I was sick." Sakura defended. "I waited all night for him-,"

"That's your own stupid fault! Who the hell told you to wait for him?" Karin rolled her eyes.

"I was worried about him."

"Why?" Karin cocked her head to one side. "...I told you not to get close to him. You'll regret it."

Sakura clenched her fists. "I'll do whatever I want."

Karin glared at her. She _dared_ to argue back? "Bitch. You better know your place. Sasuke will never be yours."

Sakura fought back the urge to smack her face. "And Sasuke won't be yours anymore once he finds out what you're doing."

"Hm? And what exactly am I doing? I'm just fighting for our relationship that_ you're_ destroying,_** whore**_."Karin taunted.

Sakura was nearly on the verge of exploding right now. "You dare to call me a whore when you're the one who _slept_ with him?"

"I have every right to do that! I'm gonna be his real wife, not you!" Karin jabbed her finger at Sakura harshly.

"That doesn't mean you can take advantage of him!" Sakura yelled back.

"He was the one who wanted to do it, ok, honey? Get your facts straight before you talk shit!" This time, Karin slightly pushed Sakura.

"Sasuke wouldn't do that. I don't believe that he would willingly do that. When he admitted that he slept with you, he looked uncertain...and I know that means he would never do that with you when he's married to me."

"What makes you think you know Sasuke so well? I'm so fucking tired of you acting like a know-it-all and a man-stealing slut!" She was about to push Sakura again, but Sakura fought back and acted quicker, pushing Karin against the front door.

"Don't touch me." Sakura hissed.

Karin only smirked. "Hn. You're showing your true colors now, huh, bitch?"

"I just want the truth! Why are you telling lies to Sasuke? He said that you told him that_** I**_ threatened you...when you know very well it was the other way around!"

"...heh. If I don't lie about that, then he'll leave me for you. I can't take that chance. I'll do everything I can to keep him with me!"

"If you want to keep him with you, then all you need to do is trust him! Why is that so fucking hard!" Sakura couldn't understand why Karin had to use these kinds of methods just to make Sasuke stay with her.

"Don't tell me that bullshit! You're taking him away from me! I already know what you're doing-,"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura just shook her head. "We're going to end this fake marriage in nearly 2 months. Why are you-,"

"Because he's mine!" Karin cried out irritatedly.

"Then he'll be yours! Why are you making that such a big deal! I'm not doing anything to take him away!" Sakura argued back. She could clearly see the frustration that Karin was going through.

"If you aren't doing anything to take him away, then why is he caring about you so much? Why did he leave me just to go check up on you? Why the hell does he worry about you so much? Why does he seem so distant now? Why does he fucking fall in love with you in just a matter of 2 months, compared to 2 _**years**_ with me?" Karin exclaimed, tears blurring up her vision.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. Instead of seeing anger...she now saw that Karin was _hurt_.

"...Karin. He's not in love with me. We agreed that there'll be no love in this marriage and you know that very well, too."

"Fuck that! That's all just a stupid excuse now! Give him back to me! If you don't fucking stop getting so close to him, I'll make sure you disappear! Just fucking go back to your own life and leave Sasuke! He's mine!" Karin blurted out uncontrollably, lashing out at Sakura, trying to slap her.

Sakura winced when she failed to dodge and Karin's hand came in contact with her cheek a little too harshly. Sakura stumbled back and closed her eyes tightly at the pain.

"Fine, I admit it! I never slept with him. I lied only because I wanted him to be bound to me. If I tell him we slept together, he'll never leave me. You'll never get him!"

Sakura swallowed, slightly relieved that Sasuke and Karin didn't really sleep together and stood back up to face her. "Damn it, Karin...if you really love him, just fucking_** trust**_ him! He'll leave you if you keep doing this!"

"Trust? What the fuck do you know about trust when you're the one taking it away from us? Stop acting like a dumb bitch!" Karin raised her hand to slap Sakura again, but Sakura pushed her.

Karin quickly grabbed a handful of Sakura's hair, pulling Sakura down with her. "Just fucking die, you fucking whore!" She screamed as they both fell down on the ground.

Sakura tried to free her hair of Karin's grasp, but Karin only pulled on it tighter. She kicked and struggled, but Karin was scratching and pounding at her at the same time. "Die, die, die! You bitch!" Karin repeated as she began to hit Sakura's head.

Sakura blocked with her arms and tried to kick Karin off of her. She managed to kick Karin in the stomach, sending Karin to jumbled back and her head collided with the ground.

Sakura panted heavily and quickly sat up. She looked over at Karin, who was also starting to sit back up...she had blood trickling down her head.

Karin raised her palm and touched her forehead and gasped when she felt the blood. She glared coldly at Sakura and had a look that could kill. "...I'm gonna fucking kill you."

Sakura scooted away when Karin lashed out at her. She stood up as fast as she could and backed away.

It was only a matter of seconds before Karin was back in front of her face, trying to punch and grab her hair again.

Anger took over Sakura and she furiously slapped back at Karin, while at the same time, tried to block Karin's aim towards her.

Karin screamed in frustration and pushed Sakura away, both of them stumbling back.

They both stared at each other, panting, hair tangled and small amounts of blood dripping from their lips and scratches. Sakura could already feel bruises on her arms and her head hurt from the constant hits that Karin made on her. A quiet moment passed between them, with only both of them staring coldly at each other, waiting for the other to make another move again.

But all of a sudden, they both turned when they heard a car driving by.

Sakura's eyes widened, recognizing the black car that parked right in front of them.

Karin gasped when car door opened.

Sasuke cautiously got out, not wanting to believe what he was seeing right now. The sight before him was just...it was just horrible.

"...what..." He stopped because he was absolutely speechless. He couldn't even believe it. His lips trembled as he looked back and forth from Sakura to Karin.

Karin was the first to speak. She limped over to Sasuke and pointed over to Sakura. "I told you! She was threatening me! This is all the proof! She came this morning and started arguing with me and just suddenly started to slap me and pull my hair! And you repay me by falling for her stupid little fake sickness and actually left me when I said I would break up with you if you left! Do you see how she really is now?"

Sasuke gazed over at Sakura.

Sakura was about to say something, but she lost all hope when she noticed he had doubt and disappointment written all over his face. After trying to find out the truth, after trying to settle all this drama, in return...she only got that same expression again. He probably hated her even more now, if possible. He probably couldn't even trust her at all anymore. And she couldn't understand how he could believe Karin so easily like that.

"...S...Sakura...why did you do this?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes and shook his head at her.

Sakura stared straight into his onyx eyes and kept her mouth shut. She didn't need to explain anymore. She didn't want to bother trying to get the truth out to him anymore. Her eyes averted over to Karin and she frowned. "...fine, Karin. You win. I admit to everything. You're happy now?" Sakura lied and turned around, walking quickly to her car despite the pain that ached in her upper body.

Sasuke took a step forward, feeling the urge to call her back, but Karin held him tightly. Although Karin's part of the story looked so real...he couldn't get Sakura's expression out of his mind.

"Karin...Karin...tell me..." Once Sakura's car drove away, he slowly turned around to face Karin. "...tell me...you aren't lying to me, right? Everything you're telling me, it's not lies, right?"

Karin was angry, seeing that he was doubting her now, too. "I'm telling the truth." She replied without hesitating.

"...really...? Promise? Sakura really threatened you and came over just to do this to you?" Sasuke looked worriedly at the blood smeared on her forehead.

"Why would I ever lie to you, Sasuke? You know that I would never do that."

Sasuke sighed and glanced back to where Sakura was standing a few moments ago. He wanted to believe Karin...but at the same time, he wanted to believe Sakura, too.

* * *

"Miss...are you alright? U...um...that fight..." The driver stuttered. He was in the car and watched the whole fight scene between Sakura and Karin. He was too shocked to do anything so he stayed in the car the whole time.

"I'm fine." Sakura reassured him.

"But...but you look all beaten up and...and...I heard everything, and then young master came and he didn't believe you...that woman was lying. Why did you just leave it be like that?"

"...y...you heard _**everything**_?" Sakura's eyes widened.

The driver nodded slowly.

"Even...even the part...where..."

"...the fake marriage part. Yes." The driver muttered meekly.

Sakura scooted forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please, please, don't tell Sasuke's father or mother or any of the other employees, please. Please...this is all a secret." She begged. She mentally slapped herself for being so stupid and just freely saying those details in public.

"Um-,"

"Please! You don't understand, but this can't get out to the public!" Sakura pleaded.

The driver nodded. "O...of course, madam. I'll keep it a secret...I won't tell anyone."

"...thank you. Just don't ever mention it." Sakura sighed and leaned back against the car seat. She licked her lips and winced when she felt a small cut on the side of her upper lip...she could taste the blood.

She didn't know how she would ever act normal around Sasuke again. Taking out her phone, she dialed Gaara's number.

She didn't want to go back to the house looking like a mess.

_"...Hello?"_

"Uh...Gaara...?"

_"Oh, Sakura. This is surprising, having you call me."_

"I just...um...are you busy?"

_"For you, I can make time, anytime."_

Sakura blushed at his statement. "So...are you home?"

_"Yea, why?"_

"I'd like to ask for a favor."

_"Anything for you, Sakura."_

"Then, can I come over?"

There was a pause. _"...yea. Of course."_

"My driver will send me there. What's your address?"

After Gaara gave her his address, she hung up and told her driver to head over to Gaara's place.

* * *

Sakura told her driver to go back because she was spending the night.

She walked to Gaara's door and knocked on it a few times.

Gaara opened the door and his smile dropped when he saw her. "Sakura...?" He looked at her worriedly.

"...can I come in, first?" Sakura asked quietly.

Without saying a word, Gaara stepped aside for her and closed the door after she got in.

Sakura shivered at his touch when he reached over and caressed her cheek. "What happened to you? Why are you like this? Who hurt you?" Gaara asked anxiously.

"...Karin..." Sakura muttered hestitantly.

Gaara froze. "Karin? Sasuke's fiancee?"

She nodded.

Gaara just narrowed his eyes, confused. "_**She**_ did this to you?"

"I went over to her house to settle things. She's been lying to Sasuke that I threatened her and that I just pretended to be sick. I wanted her to tell me the truth, and she did, but...but then after that, she started to slap me and I just couldn't stand there and let her, so I tried to fight back. I'm just mad that she's always thinking I'm stealing Sasuke away from her and that Sasuke completely falls for whatever she tells him. I'm just...I'm tired of trying to explain things to him, now..."

Gaara just couldn't believe that Karin would do such a thing like that. And he was even more furious at Sasuke because Sasuke was just...just a plain dumbass.

"Come on...I have some medicine." He gently pulled her with him over to the couch. Walking over to a small closet, he pulled out a small bag. He went over to the kitchen, got a small towel and damped it slightly with water.

Gaara came back to her and knelt down so he was at her level.

Sakura winced a bit when he softly patted away the blood on the cut on her lips. He wiped away some dirt on her face and arms. He set the towel down and grabbed some medicine, squeezing it out on his finger. He gently dabbed the medicine over her bruises and after then, he bandaged them.

"...will you be staying here overnight?"

"Can I?"

"Wouldn't that be a little inconvenient to Sasuke and his parents if they don't know where you are-,"

"I can't go back there like this. I don't want Sasuke's parents to be worried and I wouldn't know what to say if they asked what happened to me." Sakura shook her head.

"Then what about Sasuke?"

Sakura looked down sadly at the mention of his name. She just hated everything that revolved him and Karin. "...I don't get why he can't trust me at least once, over her..."

Gaara got a little irritated when he realized that she mad, but then...she was also sad. That meant she was actually _hurt_ by the fact the Sasuke kept choosing Karin's words over her. Sighing, he grabbed both her hands in his and squeezed them slightly. "_**I**_ trust you, Sakura."

Sakura slowly gazed up at him and after a few moments, she gave him a soft, genuine smile. "Thank you, Gaara..."

Gaara locked his eyes with hers and letting go of one her hand, he raised up his arm to once again gently caress her cheek. Damnit, she was just so perfect and he couldn't understand why Sasuke hurt her like this over and over again.

Sakura relaxed to his touch. Although in the beginning, he was playful and always flirted with her, he was so much gentler and considerate now.

Seeing how she leaned slightly to his touch, Gaara dared to go further. He inched just a bit closer to her, but paused, making sure she was aware of what he was going to do.

Sakura blushed when she realized he was leaning in closer and turned her head away.

Gaara took that as a silent rejection and just smiled at her. "...since you'll be staying here, I'll tell one of my workers to bring in some clothes suitable for you to stay overnight. Will that be ok?"

Sakura nodded.

"Are you tired? You look so exhausted." Gaara got up and sat down next to her. Hesitantly, he put one arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

Sakura blushed at the close contact, but she _was_ tired and it was relaxing to lean on him. Closing her eyes, she snuggled against him and sighed in content. She just wished that Sasuke would be this kind and comforting to her.

Gaara glanced down at her peaceful expression and he couldn't help but smile at her.

'If Sasuke doesn't realize what he has right now...then I guess I'm just going to have to steal Sakura away from him sooner.'

* * *

**Ayyyye, REVIEW and tell me how you liked this chapter.**

**I promise, everything will work out between Sasuke and Sakura, ok? So don't worry too much! :)**

**Next chapter will be up soon.  
**


	26. Thinking About You

**Thinking About You  
**

_*I'm sorry for the long wait...there were so much people getting irritated. I'm really sorry :/  
_

_I had a reviewer say that my story was shit, LOL.  
_

_Don't like, don't read. Enuf said._

_And THANK YOU to the anonymous reviewer who reported that someone was copying this story and posting it as their own. It's just horrible how someone would just copy someone else's idea and say that THEY did it._

_ That's so cheap and immature.  
_

* * *

Sasuke sat in the car after he had taken care of Karin's injuries.

He let out a frustrated groan and took out his cell phone to call Fugaku.

_"...Hello?"_

"Um, Sakura and I will not be attending the party."

_"Why not?"_

"There's been a few...problems." Sasuke quickly thought of an excuse. "...uh...Sakura's still not feeling well, so we're not attending."

_"Then where are you guys?"_

"We're at...we're at a restaurant right now. We'll be coming home after Sakura eats something...she didn't feel like eating at home."

Fugaku sighed, but he guessed it'll be alright since Sakura wasn't feeling well. _"...alright. Then I'll just postpone it. I cannot have a party without you two there, so..." _There was a pause. _"...I'll postpone it until three days from now. It'll be on a Wednesday and you two will have school, so I'll make the party start at 6PM. I'm pretty sure Sakura will be fine by then. Ok?"_

Sasuke wasn't sure if Sakura's injuries would be healed in just two days, but he guessed it'll be ok. "Yea. That will be fine."

Fugaku hung up and then Sasuke set his phone down on his lap. He gripped it tightly and wondered if he should call Sakura. He was sure she wouldn't go back to the house with those injuries. Was she even ok?

He was getting worried and leaned his head on the steering wheel. Gathering his courage, he dialed her number and called her.

* * *

Gaara felt a sudden vibration. He blinked and looked down at Sakura's pocket and realized it was her phone.

She was still sleeping, so he took it out of her pocket quietly and rolled his eyes when he saw that it was Sasuke. Gaara moved away and set Sakura down on a pillow before walking over to the kitchen.

"...hello?" He answered the phone.

_"...who's this? Gaara?"_

"What do you want?"

_"Why the hell do you have her phone?"_

"She's over at my place."

_"What?"_

"She's over at my place." Gaara repeated.

_"What the hell is she doing over there? How does she even know where you live? I'm coming to get her-,"_

"She told me everything. I don't think she wants to see you right now."

_"What gives her the right to be mad at me when she's the one who went over to Karin's house and just started beating Karin up? !"_

Gaara frowned and clenched his hands into fists. "...why don't you ever hear _**her**_ side of the story?"

_"Because I clearly saw-,"_

"Shut up, Sasuke." Gaara hissed. "For once, why can't you just stop hurting her? You've already done enough by bringing her into our lives...stop making it worse for her."

_"...I'm coming to get her...whether you like it or not." _Sasuke avoided his statement.

"Sasuke, will you just fucking stop playing around and choose someone?"

_"What are you talking-,"_

"If you love Karin, then stop worrying about Sakura! If you love Sakura, then stop believing every single damn thing that Karin tells you!"

_"...I...I don't love Sakura...I-,"_

"If you say that, then stop. worrying. about. her."

_"And why the fuck do **you** keep worrying about her so much?"_

Gaara took a deep breath. "...because Sasuke...I know I can treat her better. Because..." He paused. "...because I like her..."

There was only silence on the other end of the phone and Gaara guessed that Sasuke was pretty shocked right now.

"Look. I've told her that after the marriage is done, I'll continue to pursue her until she's mine. But judging by how things are going...I'm going to take her from you sooner."

_"She's not yours. She never will be."_

Gaara only smirked. It was the same thing over and over again. "And like I keep saying, she'll never be yours either, Sasuke." He hung up before Sasuke could reply back.

He glanced back at Sakura and walked over to her, setting her phone down by her. He knelt down and brushed away some bangs from her eyes. "It'd be great if you actually think about me the same way you think of Sasuke. But for now...just having you come to me when you need someone...that's good enough."

* * *

Sasuke didn't waste any time driving over to Gaara's house. It's the first time he ever felt like seriously killing someone.

Gaara just admitted that he was in love with Sakura!

And he'll never accept that. Gaara can't fall in love with her. It was just...it was just wrong and so unexpected. He knew that Gaara was crushing on Sakura, judging from all his flirtatious acting and protectiveness over her, but Sasuke never would've thought that Gaara would actually_** fall in love**_ with her.

"It's ok...she won't go to him anyway..." He murmured to himself, but he doubted it a little.

Out of all places she could've gone to, she went to Gaara's place. She was becoming dependent of Gaara.

He stepped on the gas peddle, attempting to go faster.

He needed to see her.

* * *

Karin sat on her couch with her arms crossed.

"Hn. That little whore. Now she'll regret ever coming over here and talking shit about me. I'll make Sasuke hate her..." Her lips twitched into a smirk. "...and so far, it's working."

She stood up and walked over to a mirror on the wall by her TV screen. She examined a few bruises on her shoulder and a few cuts on her cheeks and one below her lips. "Ugh. She completely ruined my face. Good thing I hit her back a few times. She'll pay for what she's doing to me and Sasuke...she will definitely not have him."

Karin fixed her hair and smiled at her own reflection. "And come on, I'm so much better than her. I'm perfect for Sasuke. We're meant to be together."

Checking herself one last time, she turned around and sat back down on the couch. She wasn't losing this rivalry against Sakura.

"...if Sasuke falls in love with her...I'll never forgive both of them."

* * *

Sasuke didn't even park correctly. He just swiveled his car around the corner of Gaara's house and got out of the car. He ran up to the door and knocked on it anxiously.

He was getting frustrated when no one opened the door after a while.

"Damn it, Gaara! Let me in!" He exclaimed, now using his fist to pound the door.

Finally, the door clicked open. Sasuke immediately pushed the door even before Gaara had time to open it fully.

"What the hell, Sasuke?" Gaara glared at him.

Sasuke looked at him threateningly. "She's not staying here. I'm taking-,"

"She wants to stay here. Do you honestly think it's safe for her to go back to your home-,"

"I know perfectly well that it's not safe! I'll take her somewhere else! It's better than knowing that she's here with you...you might take advantage of her!"

Gaara grabbed Sasuke's collar harshly. "I would never hurt her like you do." He hissed.

Sasuke jerked away from his grasp and pushed him out of the way. He glanced over to the living room and saw Sakura asleep on the couch. Just as he was going to walk over to her, Gaara grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Don't touch her!"

"She's my_** wife**_!" Sasuke glared dangerously at Gaara.

"No she isn't!" Gaara argued back.

No longer controlling his anger, without thinking, Sasuke threw a punch at Gaara. Gaara fell to the ground and winced at the sharp pain on his jaw.

Sasuke froze for moment, realizing he had just punched one of his best friends.

Gaara wiped away a small drop of blood from his lips and slowly stood up. "...Sasuke..." He murmured. "...I like Sakura..."

Sasuke's thoughts were again shrouded by anger and jealousy. He formed his hands into fists, getting ready to throw another punch at Gaara.

"...and I'll gladly risk our friendship if that's what it takes for her to be with me. She deserves to be happy, and I can give her that."

Sasuke didn't say anything and just gazed at him.

Their eyes met and a brief silence filled the air. They both didn't want to risk their friendship because they were practically like brothers. But they both didn't want to lose Sakura either.

Damn it, why was this so complicated just because of one girl?

Sasuke let out a sigh and unclenched his fists. "I just don't feel comfortable with her here."

"...I won't let you take her."

Sasuke averted his gaze over to Sakura. He wasn't exactly thrilled that Sakura would have to stay here overnight, especially since Gaara likes her now, but there was nothing he could do. Sakura probably didn't want to see him; he wouldn't know how to face her anyways, considering that fact that he was still mad and disappointed at her, and Gaara was too stubborn right now.

"...I'll...I'll let her stay..." Sasuke muttered. "...but if you lay a finger on her-,"

"I won't do anything to her." Gaara glared at him.

Sasuke gave him a warning look and glanced at Sakura one more time before turning around and exited the door.

Gaara slammed the door shut and locked it. He didn't know why the hell Sasuke wouldn't trust him taking care of Sakura. He treated Sakura better than Sasuke did.

"Hn. As if I'll let you have her."

* * *

After a few hours, Sakura eventually woke up.

Her eyes fluttered open as she yawned. She slowly sat up and looked around, remembering that she was at Gaara's place.

"You awake?"

Sakura almost jumped at the familiar voice. She turned to see Gaara standing behind her.

"How long was I asleep?"

Gaara looked over at his clock. "...around 4 hours. It's almost 8 o'clock."

"Wow, I slept really long..." Sakura rubbed her eyes and she froze when her stomach grumbled.

Gaara let out a small laugh when he saw her blushing. "You hungry?"

Sakura nodded shyly.

"Come on. I already made dinner." He grabbed her hand and gently helped her up.

She followed him to the kitchen and her eyes sparkled at the delicious looking food. But her mood completely dropped when Sasuke came in her thoughts. 'Goddamnit...why does everything remind me of that asshole?' She sighed and took her seat next to Gaara.

"...I think your wounds will probably heal quickly. After tomorrow, it should be fine. When do you plan on going back?"

"Um, maybe after tomorrow." Sakura shrugged and picked her chopsticks. She out a small amount of every single plate of food on her own plate and started eating. "Waaah...yummy..." She grinned.

Gaara smiled. He didn't know how she could be so cute all the time.

After eating to her heart's content, Sakura patted her tummy and leaned back on the seat. "...ah...that was good."

"Glad you liked it."

Sakura glanced down at the plates. "Um, do you want me to wash the dishes-,"

"It's fine. I'll just ask one of the workers to come clean this up." Gaara replied.

"Oh...ok."

"...are you...going to try to settle things with Sasuke...?"

Sakura hung her head and stayed quiet for a few moments. "I honestly want to. But if he won't listen or trust me, then I'm not gonna bother."

Gaara let out a sigh. "Sakura, you know he cares for you, right?" He replied hesitantly.

Sakura didn't say anything.

Gaara didn't want to say it. But he just as if Sakura had the right to know. "When you were asleep..." He paused. "...Sasuke called you."

"So what?" Sakura just glared.

"He's worried-,"

"-about Karin more than he worries about me. I can completely understand that."

"Sakura, he's worried about _you_. When you were sleeping, he came over, making a big deal that he didn't want you to stay with me."

Sakura looked up at him in surprise. "Sasuke came over?"

Gaara nodded.

Sakura doubted it a little. "Are you lying to me?"

"He really came over. He kept saying that...I'll..." Gaara rolled his eyes. ".._.take advantage_ of you. So he didn't want you staying here. But he finally agreed because he said that it's the best thing to do right now, considering your injuries."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

Gaara was astonished at her expression. It's like she actually wanted to see him, despite everything she just said before. Not answering her question, he just slowly stood up from his chair.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Sakura repeated.

Gaara gazed at her, not knowing what to say.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Sakura said in a demanding tone.

"You needed your rest." Gaara simply replied.

"I could've-,"

"You just said that you didn't want to bother with him!" Gaara interrupted.

Sakura's eyes widened at his sudden exclaim.

Gaara softened his expression when he saw her surprised look. He calmed himself down and took a deep breath. "...even if you're falling in love with him, I won't back down."

"I...I'm not in love-,"

"I'll go prepare the bath for you. One of my workers already brought in a pair of clothes for the next few days." He replied before excusing himself from the table.

Sakura blinked and narrowed her eyes, averting them down to her lap. "I'm...I'm not in love with Sasuke..."

* * *

That night, Sasuke stayed a bit late over at the company. He stared out his window (about 11 stories high), looking down at the crowded streets and busy people.

He wondered how Karin was doing. Hopefully, she'll be ok soon.

And Sakura. He wondered if Gaara was doing a good job of taking care of her. He honestly didn't know how he would spend almost 3 days without her...it already felt so empty without her around right now. He also wanted to hear Sakura's side of the story. Why would she do all those things to Karin? He wanted and needed answers from **_her_** now, not Karin.

He just wanted to know who was telling the truth. If Karin was telling the truth, then he had every right to be mad.

But if Sakura was telling the truth...that would contradict and destroy every trust and faith he had towards Karin.

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh and closed his eyes tightly.

He just wanted to know the truth.

* * *

**Next chapter will be a little longer, I promise. REVIEW :)**

**And once again, thanks to that reviewer who told me that someone was copying my story and saying it was their own. That's plagiarism and it violates the copyright of this story.**

**Love you guys so much :)  
**


	27. My Thoughts

**With Them, But Still Thinking About YOU  
**

_*Oh, by the way, I'm a GIRL -_-_

_(For those of you who didn't know yet) _

_*& No, I'm not Filipino. & Yes, that's really me in the profile picture. I even use that picture as my Facebook picture.  
_

_*And just ignore those haters.  
_

* * *

Sakura woke up the next morning, debating whether or not she should go to school.

"So are you going or not? If you're not, I'll stay with you."

"I want to. But then...I know it's not that safe to go out like this because it could be reported to the media and pretty soon the whole world is going to get all up on my business." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"So you're not going?" Gaara sat down on the couch and took of his sneakers. He already got all dressed for school.

"I guess not. Ah, but you don't have to stay with me." Sakura shook her head. "I don't want you skipping school because of me-,"

"Sakura, relax. It's ok. I'm a senior in highschool. But I've been home-schooled. I already know everything they're teaching me so there's really no need to go." Gaara shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

Gaara nodded and took his shoes, placing them over by the door.

"Do you want to go anywhere?"

"Eh? Go out like this?" Sakura pointed to her bruised arms and her face.

"Not in public, Sakura. You do know that I own private land and areas, too right?" Gaara raised an eyebrow.

Sakura had almost forgotten that he and the other guys were almost as rich as Sasuke. "Oh...right. Um...then yea, I wanna go."

"Mkay. Where to?" Gaara walked over to the TV and pressed a button on the wall. Sakura gasped when a digital map opened up from the TV. It was like a hologram.

"Whoa..."

Gaara chuckled at her astonished look. "This is a map of the areas that my family owns. We have various private swimming pools, restaurants, wild-life parks, and we have a resort by the beach."

"Resort?" Sakura's eyes sparkled at the mention of that.

"...I'm guessing you wanna go to the resort..." Gaara smiled.

Sakura nodded eagerly. "I haven't been to the ocean for so long! What kind of resort is it? How big is the house? What does it look like?"

"It's right by the beach shores, just a couple of miles isolated from the city. We have boats that we could ride out to the sea, the house is solar-built, so it only uses solar energy, the house isn't big like mines, but it's wide and completely made by glass, so you could see the ocean 24/7, and since I have the same authorization over that area as my parents, we could stay there for as long as we like."

"I want to go there!" Sakura grinned excitedly.

"It'll take a while because it's out of town...are you sure?"

Sakura nodded.

"...alright then. Oh yea, my workers brought a change of clothes for you...they're in the bedroom next to the bathroom. When you're ready, then we'll go."

"Ok!" Sakura smiled at him before walking over to the room to get changed.

* * *

She came out wearing a floral white dress that came right above her knees. "Is this good enough for the beach?" She asked while looking down at her outfit.

Gaara gazed at her for a few moments then walked past her into the bedroom. Sakura blinked when he came back out with a white cardigan and put it over her shoulders. "...you should cover up, Sakura. If you're being too attractive, I might just take advantage of you." He smirked.

Sakura blushed and averted her eyes shyly.

Gaara chuckled. "...I'm kidding, Sakura. Just wear it so it'll cover your bruises."

"O...oh...ok..." Sakura mumbled.

"Come on. Let's go." He replied before taking her hand and dragging her with him out the door.

* * *

Sasuke didn't sleep at home. He ended up lying to his parents that he and Sakura were going to sleep at one of the private houses they own.

But goddamn, it was so boring to be sleeping in a house alone without her. He sat in bed, remembering their honeymoon, how Sakura broke her wrist and how she looked so amazing on the wedding day.

How the hell was this happening. _Why_ the hell was this happening.

He was actually **_missing_** her after only a _**day**_. He honestly couldn't stand for it if she actually returned the feelings that Gaara had for her.

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes tightly. It stressing him out, just thinking of them together.

He was torn out of his thoughts when his phone vibrated. He sighed again, knowing that it was probably Karin. He picked it up, and sure enough...it was Karin.

"...Hey, babe."

_"Sasuke? Are you free?"_

"Yea. Got nothing to do today...why?"

_"Can we hangout?"_

"I'm kind of stressed out right now..."

_"What the hell, me too! After yesterday, do you think I'll just be fine? Let's talk, ok?"_

"Fine, fine. You come over, then."

_"To your place?"_

"No. You know the house we own by the lake?"

_"Yea."_

"Come there." Sasuke replied before hanging up. He knew Karin was gonna ask why and he really didn't feel like explaining. Sasuke threw his phone on the side and leaned back on his pillow.

* * *

Karin arrived twenty minutes later, kinda mad that he just totally hung up on her like that.

She knocked on the door and winced at the sudden pain. She looked at her knuckles and noticed they were bruised. "Tch...aw yea, huh...from beating up that whore."

The door opened a few moments later with a sleepy-looking Sasuke.

"Whoa. Did you just get up?" Karin blinked.

"Yea. Just got ready...sorry, I'm a bit tired. But are you ok now?" He leaned in a gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

"Kinda." Karin shrugged and walked in.

Sasuke closed the door and walked over to the living room without helping Karin hang her jacket.

Karin was a bit irritated that he wasn't really paying attention to her. She quickly threw her jacket by the stairs and followed after him. "What's with you today?"

"I'm just tired."

"You keep saying that." Karin rolled her eyes.

Sasuke didn't reply and just sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Karin sat right next to him and leaned close, but immediately leaned back because of the bruises on her arm.

Sasuke was taken by surprise at her sudden movement. "What's wrong?"

"...the bruises still hurt." Karin muttered.

"Do you need me to put more medicine on it?"

Karin shook her head. "It should be fine in a few days. I'm ok." She replied, hoping he would be more worried about her.

"...ok, then." Sasuke just simply stated and turned back to watching the TV.

Karin nearly gaped. He seriously wasn't paying any attention to her! "You're clearly not worried about me." She hissed angrily and got up, turning around to go.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and quickly grabbed her, careful to avoid the bruised spots. "What are you saying? I am worried-,"

"Well, you certainly aren't showing it!" Karin glared at him.

"I'm sorry, Karin. It's just...Sakura's at Gaara's place because of her injuries, so I'm just kind of stressed out right now..."

Karin just stared at him. He was tired and stressed out, not because of her, but because he was worrying about_ Sakura_. Slowly, she took her arm out of his grasp. "I'm seriously trying to save our relationship, Sasuke. Each time something happens between me and her, you always choose my side, but in reality...you're thinking more about her, aren't you?"

"It's not like that, Karin-,"

"Then what the hell is it! Ever since this whole fake marriage started, you're just gradually falling in love with her everyday!" Karin glared at him with teary eyes.

Sasuke shook his head at her. "I'm not in love with her. You should know that there's no one who-,"

"Just stop, ok? Quit telling me that when it's just empty words-,"

"It's not! Why would you even say that?" Sasuke was getting frustrated with all her doubts about him.

"Because I see the way you look at her! Because I can clearly tell when you're jealous about her! Because I could tell you're getting further and further away from me, and whenever you look at me, it's not the same anymore!" Karin let out a shaky sigh and quickly turned around when she felt her tears drop. She felt weak. And it was disgusting. She was actually **_crying_** so easily in front of Sasuke and it made her sick that he's seeing this emotional side of her.

"This is so fucking stupid. I'm leaving..." She murmured and quickly wiped her tears away. She took a step forward, but got held back when she felt Sasuke's arms embrace around her waist.

"...stay." Sasuke whispered. "...I'm sorry...I keep hurting you...and it's my fault that there's so much doubt between us because of this marriage." He took a deep breath. "I admit that I care more about Sakura than I should."

Karin's eyes widened.

"But I love you. And I'm scared to lose you...so stay, ok...?" He placed a soft kiss on her neck.

Karin just got her confirmation. He 'cared more about Sakura than he should'. That just confirmed that he's really starting to like Sakura. She turned around and embrace Sasuke tightly, despite her wounds. Her arms were trembling as she closed her eyes, not wanting to cry in front of him anymore.

"You're mine, Sasuke." She said in a shaky voice. Sasuke sighed and hugged her back gently. "I know..."

But although he said that, Sakura still lingered in his mind.

* * *

"Hm. Sooo...it's kinda weird that Gaara, Sakura and Sasuke are all absent today." Suigetsu laughed.

"I give up on the bet. Gaara's winning, and I already know." Neji replied bluntly.

"I never expected a love triangle to happen." Sai muttered.

"I knoooow, right? Ooh, what if Sakura ends up with Gaara? Wouldn't that be like...so cool?" Suigetsu's eyes sparkled in amusement.

"What about Sasuke?"

"Oh, psh, we all know he has Karin. What the hell."

"So...we're rooting for Gaara and Sakura now?" Juugo raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe. You guys wanna?" Suigetsu grinned and clamped his hands together. "It'll be interesting!"

"Nah, still gonna stick to Sasuke and Sakura." Neji shook his head.

"Me too." Sai agreed.

"We'll just see how it ends. Oh, by the way, you guys got any girls yet? Man, the _good_ stuff of public school...so many _good_ things." Juugo licked his lips and winked.

"...there's Ino." Sai bluntly replied.

"Oh yea, huh! You have been talking for a while, so what's up-,"

"We're going out."

Everyone immediately stared at him with wide eyes and mouths gaping. "W...when did this happen? !" Suigetsu blinked.

"I just asked her out a week ago."

"Well, why didn't you tell us?"

"You never asked." Sai smirked.

"Aw, dude! All the unexpected guys are getting all the girls! What about me!" Juugo pouted.

"Aye, speaking of Ino, there she is." Neji muttered.

Sai turned around to see Ino coming from the parking lot and walked over to her. The guys huddled together and watched. It was so interesting to see Sai get a girlfriend...they all seriously thought he would never get married and die alone.

"Hey!" Ino greeted him with a smile. Sai pulled her into a hug and nodded his head towards the guys. "I told them..."

"Seriously, I was wondering when you would." Ino rolled her eyes and hugged him back tightly.

"Sasuke, Sakura, and Gaara are all absent today."

"Ugh, they're always absent." Ino sighed as she pulled him along with her. "Let's go to class."

"What about the guys?"

Ino glanced back at the others, who were still staring in shock at them and she laughed. "...oh, just let them be. They look pretty entertained watching other people's love life."

* * *

Sakura ended up falling asleep on the way.

When they got there, Gaara decided to let her sleep for a while before waking her up. He reached over and gently shook her shoulder.

"...Sasuke..." Sakura whispered in her sleep. Gaara froze and gazed at her.

So she even thinks about him in her sleep.

Gaara let out a deep breath and shook his head. It didn't matter. He **_will_ **win her heart by the time this marriage was over. Once again, he reached over and shook her shoulder. "Sakura...Sakura, we're here."

Sakura groaned softly and her eyes fluttered open. "...we're here?..." She mumbled and yawned.

"Yea." Gaara got out of the car and quickly walked over to her side, opening the door for her. Still a bit asleep, Sakura slowly stepped out of the car and stretched out her arms. "Wow...that really was a long ride..."

"How do you like the house?" Gaara nodded his head over to his right. Sakura looked over and gasped at the entirely-made-out-of-glass-house. It was breathtaking. And she grinned joyfully at the sight of the beach. "It's beautiful."

"Come on. Wanna go for a swim?"

"N...now?" Sakura blinked. "Isn't it cold? And I don't have anything to wear-,"

"Sakura. You should know by now that we could provide clothes for you anywhere." Gaara smirked as he went first to the house. Sakura quickly followed after him, still keeping her gaze at the ocean.

* * *

She looked at herself in the mirror. Gaara had gave her a one-suit bikini so it wouldn't show too much skin. It covered her stomach and the lower part was a little short skirt instead of an underwear-looking bottom. She frowned at her bruises and gently ran her fingers over them.

Now that she thought about it...she missed him. Despite her anger and frustration, and that fact that it was only yesterday, she already missed seeing him. What the hell was up with that?

Sakura shook her head and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself. "...I shouldn't even be thinking about him..." She muttered to herself and walked out of the bathroom.

* * *

Gaara was already sitting on the sand, tapping his foot into the waters by the shore.

"Hey!" Sakura popped up right beside him and sat down. Gaara glanced at her. "Did it fit?"

"Yea, perfectly. It feels so good to be at the beach again! It's so cool how you guys own such pretty places!" Sakura smiled happily and curled her toes in the sand. She knelt up, went closer to the shore, and dipped her hand in the cool water.

"Want to go in?" Gaara asked and stood up.

Sakura blushed and turned away when he suddenly took off his shirt. "Come on." He urged on as he stepped into the water and went deeper in.

"U...um...I think I'll just stay here for a while." Sakura replied.

"Why?" Gaara raised an eyebrow. "I gotta get used to the water. It's cold...how do you just go in like that?" Sakura laughed.

"I'm used to it...I come swimming at the ocean all the time." He shrugged.

Sakura closed her eyes and brushed back some bangs when a slight breeze blew by. Her thoughts flashed back to the time she first met Karin. Karin's house was right by the beach, and she and Sasuke were walking on the shore together.

Although it was only a first few days into the marriage, she remembered how her heart raced when Sasuke held her so the wind wouldn't blow her hair around too much. _**Goddamn**_, every single thing was reminding her of Sasuke.

Sakura sighed, irritated by the fact that she couldn't get Sasuke out of her head.

"...what's wrong...?" Gaara slowly walked back to her and knelt down in front of her, despite that he was dripping wet and small droplets of water were dripping down his hair.

Although Sakura noticed his well-built body, she just quickly paid no attention to it. "...I just can't..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "...I just can't...stop thinking about him. I don't know why. I know I care for him more than I should, and that already scares me. Coming to the beach here...it reminded me of the time Sasuke took me to meet Karin, and we were walking along a beach together."

"...just forget him. For now."

"I can't-,"

"You're with me right now. Try to have a good time, ok? But, don't do anything to hurt your injuries more," Gaara just smiled at her and took her hand, making her stand up and dropping her towel on the sand. He slowly dragged her with him into the waters, and Sakura was surprised that it actually wasn't that cold.

Gaara stopped when the water was up to their stomachs. He could tell that she was still a bit distracted...ugh...why couldn't she just think about him? He was the one comforting her, protecting her, from everything. He didn't understand why she would keep thinking of Sasuke when it was all Sasuke's fault that she was hurt like this.

Sakura slightly flinched when one of his hands reached up to cup her face. "...what would your answer be if I asked you again?"

"...ask me what?"

Gaara just stared at her for a few moments before replying. "If I asked you, would you go out with me after the marriage is over, would you? I know I told you I would give you time...but as of right now, your feelings are getting mixed up about Sasuke too quickly. I don't want you to be in love with him and be heartbroken afterward. I don't want to lose my chances with you."

"I...I already told you, that I don't love-,"

"I know. But just answer me...would you go out with me?"

Sakura blushed at his intense gaze. She didn't know how to answer him; She didn't even know what she would do after the marriage. But thinking about it, he's been there for her so far. He's been protecting and comforting her unconditionally...and even now, he's still confident in the hope that she would go to him after the marriage is done.

...Honestly...imagining Gaara as her future boyfriend...it wasn't so bad. He was the perfect package. And he made her heart race like how Sasuke does sometimes. No doubt, she knew she had taken an interest in Gaara because he was always there. He cared and worried for her...he really, really liked her. And considering how things were going, he seemed like a good choice to choose right now.

Placing her hand on his, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not believing that she's even saying this.

"...yes."

* * *

**:O**

**Are you speechless? I am, too. I can't believe I wrote that. **

**AH! It's gonna be so hard to write all this drama now x)**

**So REVIEW and tell me how you like it so far. & DON'T WORRY...this IS a SasuSaku fanfiction, not a GaaSaku fanfiction, ok? **

**:)  
**


	28. I Kinda, Sorta, Really, Miss You

**I Kinda, Sorta, Really, Miss You  
**

_*Omg. Sorry for not updating for so long :/  
_

* * *

Sakura's driver sat in his car, deciding whether or not he'll do it.

It was bothering him for quite a while now...he really wanted to tell Sasuke what he saw. It wasn't fair that Sakura was the one to blame when **_clearly_**, Karin was the one who started it first.

He sighed and leaned his head on the steering wheel. It wasn't really his business, though. And he was still kinda shocked about the whole fake marriage thing.

But he felt bad about Sakura. Ever since he started working as her driver, he's learned that she was considerate, hardworking, and she did everything she can for the company's success. She didn't deserve to be neglected and treated like this by Sasuke.

He knew he was probably gonna get fired for this, but...

...he decided he just had to tell Sasuke the truth.

* * *

Fugaku glanced at his schedule. Tomorrow was Wednesday; which means the private party would be held after Sasuke and Sakura got off from school.

He never would expect that just by Sasuke's marriage, the company would be so successful again. And since Sakura was just an ordinary high school girl, he'd never expect her to be so good at all this business stuff.

"I guess it would be ok if I retired a bit sooner. I'd like to see how Sasuke and Sakura would run the company..."

* * *

Karin was asleep on Sasuke's shoulder. He glanced over at the time and sighed, realizing it was seven in the morning. Ugh, wow...Karin actually spent the night here.

He wondered what Sakura and Gaara did throughout the whole day yesterday. He didn't even call to checkup if she went to school or not. 'Probably not...because of all her injuries...' He thought.

Narrowing his eyes, he gazed down at Karin. If Sakura had started the fight, then why did Sakura have so much wounds? Did Karin fight back too viciously?

He didn't want to mention the possibility of Karin lying. He didn't..._couldn't_...believe that. He's been with her for so long; she wouldn't just lie to him.

...would she?

Sasuke gently caressed the side of her cheek and placed a kiss on her forehead. She was still so precious to him. He couldn't bring himself to think that she really would lie to him. It was just impossible.

He let out a sigh and gently moved away, placing her down on the couch carefully.

"I guess I should go make some breakfast for us."

* * *

Gaara just got done showering. He slid on a shirt and ruffled his hair a bit before walking out of the bathroom and settling down on the couch.

He let out a sigh and narrowed his eyes...he still couldn't believe Sakura actually said yes to him yesterday.

Speaking of Sakura, she just came out of the bathroom also and quietly sat on the couch across from him.

Gaara glanced at her and made a small smile, patting the empty spot next to him. "It wouldn't hurt to sit next to me since you're gonna be my future girlfriend in just two months, right?"

Sakura blushed and slowly got off the couch and walked over to him. She sat down next to him awkwardly and gasped when he suddenly put his arms around her and pulled her to him. "Closer, Sakura..." He muttered and smirked at her red face.

Sakura pouted and shyly adjusted herself.

Gaara gazed at her for a few moments before lifting his arms off of her shoulder. "...just kidding. You don't have to sit this close to me. I'm just teasing you." He let out a small laugh and reached for the remote, turning the TV on. But to his surprise, she never moved away.

"I'm fine sitting here, actually..." She murmured.

Gaara raised an eyebrow and wondered if she was trying to get used to being close to him. Aw well, he wouldn't complain.

And once again, he lifted his arm and put it around her shoulder.

* * *

_**Goddamnit.** _

The thought of Sakura being with Gaara pissed him off to no end right now. He almost burned his eggs while cooking because he was thinking about it too much.

Sasuke groaned irritatedly and set the table. Then he walked over to Karin and knelt down in front of her, gently shaking her shoulders.

Karin's eyes fluttered open and she smiled immediately when she saw Sasuke. "...hey."

"I cooked some breakfast. You wanna eat before you go?" Sasuke asked.

Karin nodded and slowly sat up. "But why can't I just stay here?" She pouted.

"...listen, I gotta go pick up Sakura tomorrow morning...for school..." Sasuke muttered.

"So what? That means I can't stay here?" Karin glared at him.

"I have to go prepare for the private party my dad is holding tomorrow. I'm guessing my parents are starting the preparations today, so I'll be busy." Sasuke explained and took her hand, guiding her over to the kitchen. "You should really eat before you go, ok? And I'll change your bandages after." He replied before pulling the chair out for her.

Karin rolled her eyes and sat down. Sasuke walked over to his side and also sat down.

She stared at him while he ate and noticed he was kind of distant. She clearly knew that he was probably thinking of Sakura. Karin sighed and looked down at her plate of food.

She was losing him.

And she wasn't going to let that happen. 'I need a new plan...if he's really falling for her...then let's see how he'll like it if **_I_ **was with another man.'

And slowly, the familiar evil grin crept on her face. One particular guy came to her mind that she knew would piss Sasuke off.

...Gaara.

* * *

After an awkward breakfast, they headed out and drove back home.

Sakura sat in the car quietly, fiddling with her fingers. She didn't know how she would face Sasuke again.

"Um...Gaara..." She muttered quietly.

"Yea?"

"...are we going to tell Sasuke about this?"

Gaara glanced over at her. "It's up to you."

Sakura sighed and looked down at her lap. "...he'll probably be mad."

"Then let's not tell him. It'll be cool; like our own little secret." He shrugged.

"But I still don't know how I'll face him if he comes pick me up today."

"Sakura, it's not your fault. He should be the one who's nervous. He never trusts you and always hurts you. You don't deserve that, and clearly, it was all Karin who started this."

Sakura stayed quiet. She really, really wanted Sasuke to believe her. But what the hell...it was no use. It was all bullshit.

Gaara saw her troubled expression and reached over. He gently grasped her hands and entangled his fingers with hers. "Sakura...when you're with me...please, don't think about him. You agreed to be my girlfriend, so...just try and look at me more. I'm serious about a relationship after this marriage."

"...I know. I'm sorry, Gaara. It'll take time, but I promise, I'll be serious about this relationship, too." Sakura smiled faintly at him.

Gaara nodded. She'll definitely fall in love with him by the time the marriage was over.

...Hopefully.

* * *

After Karin left, Sasuke headed out to Gaara's place.

He just realized how fast he was driving and slowed down a bit. He was seriously _rushing_ just to get her.

Sasuke sighed and gripped his steering wheel tighter. "What the hell is wrong with me? I'm like, going crazy just because of her."

He took out his cell phone and looked at the time; his parents should already by setting up for the party tomorrow. He didn't know how he and Sakura would act like if they had to dance together again. It was so awkward now.

But he still needed answers from her.

Sasuke's thoughts flashed back to that sad expression she gave him when he saw the fighting between her and Karin...it made him feel so guilty.

"I need answers...and this time...I'll believe her."

* * *

It was only a few minutes until he reached Gaara's house. He got out of his car, walked over to the door, and knocked on it.

Again, like last time, no one answered. Sasuke knocked again, louder.

No answer.

Sasuke sighed and knocked a third time.

...still, the door didn't open.

What the hell? Were they even home?

He took out his cell phone and proceeded to call Gaara, but he turned around when he heard a car coming. He closed his phone when he realized it was Gaara's car.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes when he saw Sakura get out of the car.

She looked at him, surprised...she didn't expect him to come get her this early.

"Where did you take her? You should know that it's not safe if someone her." Sasuke glared at Gaara.

Gaara shut the car door and walked over to him. "I know that. We just went to a resort my family owns...it's private. No one was there. So calm down." He glared right back.

"...then we're leaving." Sasuke went over to Sakura and grabbed her wrist, dragging her with him. She looked back at Gaara and slightly pulled back. "W...wait."

Sasuke was taken by surprise when she jerked her hand away from him and ran back to Gaara.

"Um, thanks for taking care of me. I didn't want to leave without thanking you." Sakura replied and glanced back at Sasuke. He was already looking pissed off.

"It's alright. Anything for you," Gaara made a small smile at her. "See you tomorrow at school. And your injuries are healing pretty quickly, so don't do anything to hurt yourself." He pinched one her cheeks playfully.

Sakura blushed and smiled back. "...ok." She slowly turned around and walked back to Sasuke.

Gaara watched as she and Sasuke got in that car and drove away.

"Well. I bet Sasuke's pretty pissed off right now." He just laughed.

* * *

"What the hell was that about? Couldn't stand to leave him?" Sasuke glared at her.

"...yes." Sakura replied bluntly.

"So what. You want to be with him? You obviously know he likes you-,"

"So maybe I like him, too." She suddenly blurted out. She didn't even know why she said that. But right now, she just wanted to get back at Sasuke.

Sasuke stepped on the breaks and stared at her like she was crazy. "...**_what_**?"

Sakura stayed quiet. She didn't want to say it again...because then, she'd be lying to herself. She knew was getting more attracted to Gaara, but she can't exactly say that she was falling for him. It was too soon...Gaara was still just a very close friend. She needed time to sort out her feelings for him if she was going to be his future girlfriend.

Seeing how she didn't answer, Sasuke just sighed in frustration. She just said she liked Gaara back.

He didn't know why...but it hurts. He was honestly, scared, that he was feeling this way. He was being more jealous than he should be, and that scared him. He wasn't supposed to care this much...he wasn't supposed to care if she was with other guys. This marriage was fake.

But every time she was with Naruto, or his other friends, or Gaara...he just couldn't control it.

Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his head onto the steering wheel. Gosh...he didn't know he could feel so complicated just because of one girl. Even Karin didn't make him feel like this.

Sakura was starting to get worried because of the long silence. "...Sasuke-,"

"My dad is holding a party tomorrow. We have to get ready and after school tomorrow, we're attending." He quickly changed the subject and lifted his head up.

Sakura just nodded.

He started the car again.

As always...there was only silence as they drove.

* * *

They didn't do much when they got home. Sasuke was busy with paperworks from the company and discussing the party plans with his father, while Sakura was up in bed.

They really didn't talk much and just went to sleep at night.

The next day came, and Sasuke woke up first.

He let out a small yawn and turned to look at Sakura. It felt good to be sleeping next to her again. Like always, she was so beautiful when she was sleeping.

Sasuke gulped and reached over to brush away some hair strands that were covering her hair. It felt so long since he was this close to her. Everything was a mess lately, and he honestly missed how they were more comfortable and playful around each other.

He scooted back and got out of bed. It was 6:30...he should get ready for school. They've been skipping too many days.

* * *

Of course, after an awkward ride with Sasuke and arriving to school, she got a bucket load of hugs from her friends and Sasuke's friends.

"Ah! Where have you been!" Ino grinned happily.

"Oh, places," Sakura shrugged.

"And guess what!" Ino went over to Sai and linked her arm with his.

Sakura slowly narrowed her eyes. "...are you two...?"

Ino nodded. "We're dating!"

Sasuke crossed his arms. "When did this happen?"

"Obviously, when you and Sakura weren't here." Sai muttered.

"So where'd you two go for like, a whole week? Gaara, too. He was absent on the same day as you guys!" Juugo nudged at Gaara, who glanced at Sakura and Sasuke.

The three of them stayed quiet.

Everyone just stared at them suspiciously. "...did something happen?" Ino asked cautiously.

"N...no. It's all good. Um...me and Sasuke just had alot of things to do at the company." Sakura quickly made up an excuse.

"...and uh, I've been busy with my family business." Gaara added in.

"Heh, really? All at the same day?" Suigetsu raised an eyebrow.

"Just a coincident. I'm going to class." Sasuke replied before walking away from the group. He really couldn't stand there with both Sakura and Gaara.

Sakura watched him go and sighed. "Um...then, I'll go to class, too. See you guys after school." She muttered before leaving.

Without saying anything, Gaara quickly ran after her, insisting to walk her to class.

The other stayed and just stared. "Told you. Something's up with them. A love triangle." Suigetsu sighed and shook his head.

"A love triangle? You mean Gaara likes Sakura, too?" Ino blinked.

"Yep. I think something really did happen. But anyways, let's go to class. The bell's ringing in-,"

They all gasped when the bell rang and they quickly ran in different directions to go to their classes.

"Shit, we're late!"

* * *

Sakura sat in her classes, tapping her pencil on the desk and_ tried_ to listen to the teacher's lectures.

But everything was jumbled up in her thoughts. She and Gaara would be dating after the marriage. She didn't even know how she and Sasuke will act around each other now. And plus, she still had to talk to Naruto and Hinata.

She didn't even go out to lunch because she knew it would be awkward with Sasuke and Gaara both right there.

And Karin. She honestly didn't want anything more to do with Karin. She didn't want anything more to do with this marriage, actually...but then again...after this marriage...it was all going to be over. Except for her and Gaara, of course.

'Only 2 more months.' She bet it was going to go by fast.

And that scared her. She didn't know why, but she didn't exactly want to leave Sasuke yet.

* * *

Sasuke sat in his classes, also having trouble with his own thoughts. He was still pissed about Gaara, Karin wanted to hangout with him 24/7, the company is stressful enough, and then there was Sakura.

He still needed answers from her, but he just didn't know how to bring it up. They didn't talk all yesterday, last night, or this morning. He honestly felt like they were strangers. He hated that feeling.

Sasuke's mind flashed back to when things were still ok...when he would hold her hand...when he hugged her...when she would blush and be all nervous...and their kiss. His heart fluttered at the thought of it.

He hoped things would get better.

...he kinda, really missed being close with Sakura.

* * *

**So, this chapter ends here. Again, sorry for not updating for so long; with the New Year, new term at school, everything's busy lately.**

**Anyways, review and tell me how you liked it so far. Next chapter will be good :)**

**REAL good. Surprises are waiting! ;D  
**


	29. Together Again

**Together Again  
**

_*I'm honestly bored writing and dragging the Sasuke-Sakura-Karin drama for so long. New start! :)  
_

* * *

When school ended, they all gathered at the front again.

While walking, Sakura saw Hinata and Naruto together and quickly ran over to them.

"Naruto." She called hesitantly.

He turned around and his eyes widened, seeing her. "Sakura. I haven't seen you for like 2 weeks..."

"I've been busy," Sakura muttered and glanced over to Hinata, who looked down to avoid her gaze.

"...so..." Naruto cleared his throat awkwardly.

Sakura took a deep breath. She was ready for this; she'll forgive them. She had enough problems right now already, so she just wanted to get this done and over with. She gazed up at Naruto and every memory of their relationship flashed through her mind. He was no doubt, her first love. She knew that no matter how mad she was at him for betraying her, she could never hold a grudge against him for so long.

...and Hinata. They had their laughs and cries together as bestfriends. She would never forget that either.

"Things are getting complicated lately, and I just wanted to clear things up with you guys." Sakura replied. She could clearly see that they still felt guilty.

"What you two did to me...I don't think I'll ever forget it. But I think I can let it go. You two were the most important people in my life, and...I just can't stay mad at you guys forever. When you're in love, you should be together. And when you love someone, you should let them go if they're happy." She paused. "...I really, really, loved you, Naruto...and Hinata, you were like a sister to me. You guys did whatever you could to win my trust again. You even agreed to break up if I went to Naruto, again. Knowing that two did that...I know now that you were just scared of telling me...you didn't want to hurt me." (Even though, technically, they did.)

Naruto and Hinata looked at each with curious expressions and just stayed speechless.

Sakura took another deep breath and clenched her hands into fists. "...I forgive you."

Hinata stared at her quietly and said the only thing that came to her mind. "...thank you..." She made a faint smile at Sakura.

Naruto sighed in relief and gazed at Sakura. He really, truly, did love her, too. And he was so glad that she was willing to forgive him. "Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura nodded and turned around. She didn't know what else to say anymore. "Then...I'll see you guys tomorrow..." She muttered.

"Um, Sakura, how is it going with you and Sasuke?" Naruto quickly asked.

Sakura froze. "It's...complicated." She replied and walked away before he could respond.

Hinata watched her go, worriedly. "It's _complicated_? Do you think something's going on between them? Is that why she forgave us?"

"I don't know...but Sakura deserves happiness. And I hope Sasuke is giving that to her."

* * *

Sasuke didn't waste any time and went directly to his car after the bell rang. He sat, waiting, and waiting.

'Damn it, where is Sakura?' He rolled his eyes and looked at the time on his cellphone. The parting would be starting in just three hours; they still had to get dressed up and everything.

After another few irritating minutes of waiting, Sakura finally came. She opened the car door and sat down.

"Sorry...I was still doing something..."

Sasuke glared at her. "We have a party to go to. You're wasting a lot of time just casually hanging out with your friends-,"

"Can you just please, stop assuming things, for once?" Sakura interrupted. "I just went to tell Naruto and Hinata that I forgive them, ok?" She sighed and clipped on her seatbelt.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You forgave them? After they lied and betrayed you like that?"

"I'm mature enough to let things go." Sakura stared at him coldly.

"What are you indicating? That I'm childish or something?"

Sakura was about to say yes, but she kept her mouth shut. She knew this would just end up in a big argument. "Sasuke, just drive."

Sasuke was annoyed that she always somehow, avoided his questions. He let out a frustrated sigh and just drove home.

* * *

Sakura zipped up the back of her dress** (****Note: If you want to see her dresses, go on my profile and I have links posted)** and slipped on a pair of black high heels. She puffed up her hair a bit and put on long, diamond earrings.

She stepped out of her closet to see Sasuke coming out also, buttoning up his shirt.

"...so Karin might be there, huh." She looked away.

Sasuke froze for a moment. "...no. It's only for us, and the top five companies' presidents. Hn, I know Gaara will most likely attend." He scoffed.

"Why do you hate him so much? He's really done nothing to you," Sakura defended.

Sasuke didn't respond. He just stared at her and then walked away towards the door, quickly finishing buttoning up his sleeves. He scanned the door to open and then turned slightly to face her.

"...he's taking you away from me." He answered before walking out of the room.

Sakura stood there quietly, staring at the spot where Sasuke was standing.

Whenever he said things like that, it got her hopes high, and she hated it. It was like, one moment he hates her, then one moment, he cares that he's losing her.

She just wanted things to be better again.

* * *

Fugaku and Mikoto, as always, were already there, making sure everything was ready. "You're really not inviting the press or media? That's different." Mikoto chuckled.

"Sasuke was complaining...you know how he is." Fugaku shrugged.

"But then, everyone won't get to see them dance." Mikoto sighed in disappointment and gazed towards the big, open space for dancing.

"We'll get to see them all for ourselves then. It's more special that way." Fugaku replied and walked to the food table, grabbing a cup of wine. "It should be starting in about ten minutes, so people should start coming soon."

"Hopefully, Sasuke and Sakura won't be late again."

* * *

"I don't wanna go." Gaara replied bluntly.

"Why not? It's Sasuke's party. We always go." His dad urged on.

"The more reason why I shouldn't go." Gaara shrugged.

"Did you two have a fight-,"

"Things are just a little complicated right now. Don't worry about me, dad...just go and have fun." Gaaga let out a sigh and got off the couch. He ran upstairs before his dad could respond.

Seriously, he already knew things would get bad if he went.

* * *

Sasuke waited out in the car for her. He knew he would be uncomfortable with Gaara there, too...but there was no helping it.

_However_, he was not letting Sakura out of his sight. He knew Gaara would try to somehow dance or get close to Sakura at the party, but he was going to make sure that doesn't happen.

After a few moments of waiting, Sakura finally came out.

"Hurry up. You always make us late." He sighed and got in the car.

"Tch, a girl's gotta get ready, you know?" Sakura rolled her eyes and also got in the car. She sat quietly and pulled her seatbelt on.

"So...we're gonna have to dance together, as usual, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"...do we get to dance with other people?"

Sasuke glared at her. "Why? Are you hoping that you'll get to dance with Gaara?"

"Why can't I?" Sakura replied, irritated.

"Why do we always have this argument?" Sasuke groaned and just shook his head.

"You always bring it up."

"Shut up."

* * *

They arrived a few minutes later; and luckily, they were on time.

Sakura was surprised that there weren't that much people. It was usually really crowded.

She followed Sasuke over to his parents. "You look gorgeous, as always!" Mikoto immediately complimented Sakura.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled.

Sasuke glanced at her. It's been quite a while since she gave him a sincere smile like that...he missed it.

He also looked around to see if Gaara was here...he was nowhere to be found.

"Alright, well, help yourselves to some food and talk with people a little. Your dance will be starting in about half an hour." Fugaku said and then walked away with Mikoto to talk to the other company's presidents.

Sasuke glanced back at Sakura and noticed she was scanning the room. He got annoyed because clearly, she was looking for Gaara, too.

"I thought you said Gaara would be here."

"Why do you wanna see him so bad? You've been with him for almost 3 days and you just picked up from him yesterday." Sasuke said, a little to harshly.

"I'd rather be with him than be with you." Sakura lied. Truth is, she just wanted Gaara to be here so it wouldn't be so awkward being with Sasuke.

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh and pushed down his anger. He didn't want to cause a scene like last time when he forcibly just kissed her. "So what. You really do like him now?" He hissed.

"Why are you always so-,"

"If you want me to stop, then why don't _you_ stop looking for him so much!" He grabbed her wrist tightly. "It's so annoying when he's constantly on your mind-,"

"You _don't know_ what I'm thinking about, so don't you _dare_ say that. I don't even think about him as much as I think about you and **_you're_** the one who's constantly on my mind, so..." Sakura trailed off, realizing what she just said.

"...what?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Sakura blushed. She just blurted out that she's always thinking about him...shit. "Nothing. Just forget about it." She quickly replied and jerked her hand away from him.

"Sakura." Sasuke grabbed hold her arm and pulled her back. "...**_I'm_ **the one who's constantly on your mind...?" He asked quietly.

Sakura couldn't bring himself to look at him. "N...no...I didn't say that. I'm just pissed right now, ok? So I just said some stuff, ok?" She quickly made up an excuse.

Sasuke wasn't buying it. She clearly said that she thought about him more than she thought about Gaara. He didn't know why, but his heart was beating fast and he was feeling a little too happy. "I heard you clearly, Sakura."

Sakura's lips were trembling. This was scaring her...she needed to push down those god-awful feelings. "Damn it, it's _your_ fault. You're always making me so confused and you always take Karin's side, and it hurts that you never once hear my side of the story and even if you did...you just never believe me. You always act like you care, but then the next moment, you completely hate me. Whenever I'm with Gaara, he makes me forget you and all the bullshit that Karin's putting me through. I seriously can't tolerate anymore of this from you or Karin. Gaara's the only comfort I have..." She murmured quietly.

Sasuke softened his grip on her. He averted his eyes to the ground and took a deep breath. He was serious this time; he'll listen to her, and this time, he'll really believe her.

Quietly, he dragged her to a spot where they were a bit secluded from the rest of the crowd. "...then...I'll listen this time." He told her.

Sakura looked up at him with curious eyes.

"That look you gave me on the day I saw you and Karin...fighting..." He paused. "...that expression you had, it's been stuck on my mind. It made me feel so guilty. You looked hurt, and disappointed, and...I want to know the truth. I want to know everything this time, Sakura."

Sakura stared at him for a while; then she shook her head. She was too scared to tell him. _Every single time_, he never believed her. And even if he said he'll listen to her this time, she doubted that anything will change. She knew he would never believe that Karin did those kinds of things...he would never believe that his _beloved, innocent,_ Karin would ever hurt anyone.

Sasuke couldn't understand. It was so easy; all she had to do was tell what was really going on between her and Karin. "Sakura, why won't you tell me? This will solve everything if-,"

"It won't. Trust me, if I told you, you would never believe it..."

Sasuke was running out of patience. He just wanted to make things right. He just wanted to know who was lying and who was telling the truth. He just wanted to stop this already.

Just as he was about to say something, a song came on.

He looked over at the platform and saw Fugaku urging them to the dance floor.

'Damn...already?' Sasuke sighed.

Awkwardly, he held Sakura's hands and guided her over to the dance floor. People parted away as they walked through the crowd.

Once they were in the middle of everyone, Sasuke hesitantly put one hand on her waist and held her hand with the other. He noticed that she was a bit stiff.

Sakura didn't want to look up at him. She was glancing over his shoulder as they danced, to check one more time if Gaara was here or not. She really, really needed him after this...she needed a hug, or someone to talk to.

Being like this, having Sasuke holding her close like this again, it was making her heart race.

Sasuke felt her stiff hand relax a bit and her body now moved freely along with him and music.

It felt so unbelievably good.

To have her this close to him, to have her dancing with him, to have her in his arms like this, it felt like heaven...and he had to make sure he really _was_ all she was thinking about right now. Screw Gaara; Gaara will never, ever have her.

He leaned in close to her ear, causing her to shiver. "Sakura..." He whispered.

Sakura swore she looked like a tomato right now.

"...don't like Gaara. Don't fall for him...even if he does everything to win you over, don't go to him. Even if he asks you out, say no. Just...stay with me...and don't go to him." Sasuke leaned back so he could see her face. He was taken by surprise when he realized she was blushing...but then...she also looked hurt and guilty.

They stayed like that for a few moments, slowly swaying to the music and staring into each other's eyes.

"Sakura...?"

"...he already did."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"...and...I said yes."

* * *

**Ok. So it wasn't THAT good like I promised to you guys. I wanted everything to be revealed in this chapter, but I wanted to make a pause before that happened.**

**So, NEXT chapter for sure, will be the chapter you've all been waiting for :)  
**

**Review.  
**


	30. Tough Spot

**Tough Spot  
**

_*After the very, very IMPATIENT wait; here's the chapter.  
_

* * *

Sasuke just froze. He honestly did not know how to react.

Luckily, alot of people came on the dancefloor so they really didn't pay much attention to him and Sakura anymore.

Seeing his shocked expression, Sakura thought she'd be happy that she got a little revenge, but...she felt horrible right now. "...it's...it's after the marriage..." She tried to explain, to make things seem better. "You and I won't have anything to do with each other anymore, so...I should be able to date anyone I want, Sasuke."

Of course. He knew that. But goddamn it, it was with Gaara. Why did it have to be _Gaara_? He felt like he just lost her...and he knew that the marriage was coming to an end very soon, but why did she have to go and agree to date Gaara so early?

He was scared that he was losing her. He was scared that he was losing her to one of his _bestfriends_. But he was terrified by the overall fact that he was so emotional about this...he was caring more than he should...he was angrier than he should be...these feelings were making him feel all messed up.

Slowly, he let go of her and withdrew his hand away from her waist.

Sakura was getting worried. She didn't think he'd be like this if she told him.

"I need some air..." Sasuke shook his head and quickly made his way through the small crowd to the exit doors.

Sakura watched as he went and she felt a little awkward standing all by herself, so she quickly went after him.

She'd expected him to get really mad after she told him, but he just looked _hurt_...it made her have a whole different perspective on him.

* * *

Sasuke got outside and he took a deep breath. "What the hell..." He groaned in frustration and looked up at the already-dark sky.

"Why am I like this?" He punched the wall next to him and ignored the pain that went through his fist. "She won't tell me the truth about her and Karin...and then she goes and tells me that she's going to date Gaara after the marriage...what the hell is up with her? This is driving me crazy..."

He was torn from his thoughts when he heard the doors open and turned to see Sakura.

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke just averted his eyes away. "I'll be back in a moment; go back inside."

"No..." Sakura refused. "...I don't understand why you're like this."

He stayed quiet.

"You keep doing this to me and it's confusing me, Sasuke. When you're with me, and I talk about Gaara, you get so jealous and...I just..." Sakura averted her eyes down. "...I just feel as if there's something more to us..."

'What?' Sasuke thought and turned to face her. "We aren't supposed to have love in this marriage. There's nothing to us." He muttered; but in his mind, it felt like he was telling a lie.

"I know, but..." Sakura paused and bit her lower lip nervously.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Where was she taking this? It was making him anxious.

"...but why? If there's no love to this marriage, why won't you let me go to other guys? It's going to be after the marriage anyways. The way you act...it's like you care so much and you act like we actually have a meaningful relationship. You get jealous over me like a boyfriend does, and sometimes, I swear I even see you look at me with this-,"

"Stop." Sasuke interrupted. "Look..." He let out a frustrated sigh. "...I honestly don't even know why, ok? I just can't stand it. It irritates me when you're with him. I don't know why I'm always so mad when it comes to you and him." He ran his fingers through his hair and looked down at the ground.

"...I'm caring more than I should and I'm over reacting about this...I'm seriously scared of myself. Especially when it comes to you, I just lose it and honestly...it hurts..."

"It..._hurts_...?" Sakura blushed at his words. Ok, they were getting _ way_ too serious about this topic. She didn't know how this conversation would end with the way they were confessing things like this.

Sasuke could feel himself blushing, too, and he quickly turned away. Geez, he didn't even know what he was saying anymore.

"When this marriage ends," Sakura started quietly. "...will you ignore me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. Why was she always asking him questions that he didn't have the answers to? He knew he **_had_** to ignore her, but then...it would feel so weird without her.

"Can we not talk right now? If you want to talk about matters, please tell me first what's going on between you and Karin. It's bothering me..." he changed the subject.

Sakura shut her mouth. She'd rather not.

Noticing her silence, he just sighed. He should do something before things get even more awkward. Quietly, he walked past her, proceeding to go back into the building. "We should finish our dance." He muttered quietly and waited for her.

Sakura blushed. She honestly liked being so close to him; but at the same time, it was so nerve wrecking. Shyly, she hesitantly reached over and linked her arms with his.

Sasuke dragged her with him back into the building and back on the dancefloor.

And this time when they danced, neither of them even bothered to look at each other.

* * *

Karin sat on the couch, thinking up her new plan. Sakura was just getting on her nerves.

"Hm...maybe I should call Gaara since we're all not around each other anymore..." She grinned and took out her phone, dialing Gaara's number.

_"...hello...?"_

"Gaara?"

_"...yea, who's this?"_

"It's Karin."

_"Karin?" _Gaara was surprised. Even though she's been with Sasuke for two years, and she exchanged numbers with him and all the other guys, they never really talk or contacted each other much.

"We haven't talked much, so I wanted to catch up on things." Karin replied sweetly.

_"Why?" _Gaara asked suspiciously.

"Weeell, I was wonderiiiing..." she paused for a moment. "...you like Sakura, right? Since you're always taking care of her."

_"That's none of your business."_

"Oh, come on, it's already so obvious. You can trust me!"

_"Sure."_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Karin glared.

_"Look, you can manipulate and have Sasuke wrapped around your little finger, but I'm not as dumb as he is. So don't think you can sweet talk to me. What do you really want?"_

Karin scoffed. Why did he have to be so damn smart? "Tch, fine then, I'll just say it. I want you to work with me to get Sakura and Sasuke apart from each other."

_"They were never really together in the first place-"_

"Cut the bullshit. Everyone knows they're really falling for each other. I can tell just by the way Sasuke looks at her. It's so irritating!"

_"So...why are you involving me?" _Gaara asked boredly.

"Well, like I said, you like Sakura, right? If you help me, it's a win-win situation. They'll quit their marriage in two months and stick to their original plan; I get Sasuke, and you get Sakura."

_"...No." _Gaara refused.

"Why not?" Karin gripped her phone tighter.

_"Because unlike you, I don't want to hurt Sakura."_

"You're not hurting her, you're helping her! If they really stay together, it'll be bad for everyone."

Gaara stayed quiet.

_"Come oooon. You want the girl, I want the guy. If we work together, things will be fine. Please, Gaara? I don't want Sasuke to leave me, and I know clearly, that you really want Sakura."_

Gaara just sighed. Oh, she was good. He didn't even know how Karin knew he liked Sakura so much. But...he still wouldn't give in.

He smirked when an idea suddenly popped in his mind. It was a good thing he was sitting in his office desk, too...slowly, he pulled out a recorder, set his phone on speaker, and then placed the recorder next to his phone.

_"...then, Karin. I want to clarity some things, first. If you tell me, maybe I'll consider it."_

Karin narrowed her eyes. "Like what?"

_"...the day Sakura got hurt; were you the one that started it?"_

"What? Hell no! That whore was the one who came over to my place first!"

_"I know that, obviously."_ Gaara rolled his eyes._"But there has to be a reason why she went over to your place, right?"_

Karin gritted her teeth together. What the hell was he trying to get out of her? "Why are you so curious about this?"

_"If you tell me the truth about what happened between you and her, then I won't have any doubts about you."_

"I don't get what you and Sasuke see in that girl. Ever since she came into our lives, everything's changed. You have no idea how much I hate her."

_"...so. Are you gonna tell me the truth?"_

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, fine! She was getting on my nerves so I hit her first, ok?"

_"Oh, and about you and Sasuke. Did you two really sleep together?" _Gaara urged on.

Karin bit her lower lip nervously. How did he know about that? "That's...that's going too far. I don't need to answer-,"

_"If you answer this question, then I'll help you."_

'Damn. He's as good as me.' She thought and stayed quiet for a few moments.

_"I just want the truth, Karin. If you tell me, I'll trust that you won't hurt Sakura anymore."_

Karin took a deep breath. "...I...I never slept with him..." She muttered. "...I just faked it. It was the only way to get him to stay with me because he's responsible for it."

Gaara smirked. 'Gotcha.' He stopped the recorder. _"Alright, then. Let's meet in about a week from today, ok?"_

Karin also smirked, thinking that she actually got him to work with her. "Ok. I'll tell the plans when we meet, then."

Gaara hung up and set his phone down. Damn...if he was going to reveal what Karin did, it'd probably only bring Sasuke and Sakura closer. But, he felt like Sasuke needed to know the truth and Sakura shouldn't have to be hated when she did nothing wrong.

'...damn. I'll probably end up regretting this if Sasuke and Sakura really do become closer.'

* * *

That night, Sakura and Sasuke didnt utter a word to each other while driving home.

After changing into her pajamas, Sakura came out of the closet and sat on her side of the bed. She let out a sigh and brushed back her bangs. Seriously, it's been such a rough and ridiculous couple of weeks and she's exhausted.

She glanced down at her arms and thank god, her injuries from Karin were healing.

Sasuke also got out and quietly came onto the bed. He didn't say anything to her and pulled the blankets on himself. He was pissed at the fact that she won't tell him anything, and plus the whole Gaara thing, too.

Sakura glanced over at him and bit her lower lip nervously. She wanted to say something to him...anything, just to make him feel any better.

He was confusing her, and it was so irritating. Either he acted this way just to piss her off on purpose, or...or he had feelings for her. Sakura blushed at the thought. But it made so much sense; why would he be so mad about this and so jealous if he_ didn't_ like her?

And she wasn't even sure about her own feelings. She just said yes to Gaara not too long ago, but she knew somehow, she yearned for Sasuke more. And again, that scared her. She knew that if she kept having these emotions towards Sasuke, it would defy the conditions of their wedding.

Sakura slowly laid down on her pillow and closed the lights. All she could hear is Sasuke's soft breathing and guessed that he probably fell asleep already.

...she honestly would miss the presence of him sleeping next to her when they divorced.

* * *

Four days passed.

Sasuke and Sakura only talked to each other when they were in the office and they only talked about work-related things. At school, they didn't even sit together at lunch, but still managed to stay close enough so people won't get suspicious.

Sasuke was in his office, getting ready for a meeting. He got up just as the door opened and Sakura walked in.

"...um, the meeting is starting in five minutes." Sakura muttered quietly.

"Yea, I know. I'm coming." Sasuke nodded as he pushed his chair back in and walked past her.

Sakura closed the door and followed after him. She didn't how long this would last. She hated this silence between them.

They entered the meeting room, where some people were already sitting.

"Who else are we waiting for?" Sasuke asked as he and Sakura sat down. Sakura noticed that Neji and the others were also there.

"Hey, Sakura," They all greeted.

Sakura just blinked and awkwardly waved at them. Why were they here, too?

"...just Gaara. He's not here yet." Suigetsu answered.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke and he just stayed quiet and just reverted his attention down to his paperwork. "...anyways. How are you guys' businesses going?"

"Oh! My dad just opened up a new store around the corner near your mall, Sasuke." Juugo grinned.

"Is it a clothing store...again?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Yep. This time, it's got some real classy suites, so you should go order some from there," Juugo nodded.

"My company opened up a new restaurant. It's about time we put some food stores around here." Sai replied.

"Ah, that's good...then-,"

The door opened and they all turned to see Gaara walk in. "Sorry. Got stuck in traffic." He replied and sat down by Neji and Juugo.

Sasuke fought the urge to give him a death glare.

"I heard the president is going to retire after 4 more years." An older man commented.

"Ah, yes." Sasuke cleared his throat. "I'll be 24 by then, so I think I'll be able to handle taking over the company."

"And your wife?" Gaara interrupted in.

Sasuke and Sakura both looked at him. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, knowing that Gaara clearly just wanted to annoy and piss him off.

"Of course, Sakura will be right by my side." He said.

"Of course, of course..." Gaara taunted sarcastically.

Sasuke's fists clenched. Damn, he'd like to punch that smirk right off Gaara's face.

Sakura noticed how Sasuke tensed up and she glanced worriedly at Gaara. 'Ugh, really...why do they have to start now?' She looked at all the other people in the room and thank god, they didn't look like they knew what was going on.

The meeting lasted for about 45 minutes...with an awkward tension between Sasuke, Gaara, and Sakura.

* * *

Everyone shuffled out of the meeting room and the guys parted their ways.

Gaara, however, stayed for a while and walked over to Sakura. "...seeing the way he looked so pissed at me, you probably told him, huh?"

"Yea...I told him a few days ago, and now we're not even talking to each other anymore." Sakura replied quietly.

Gaara looked around. "Well, where is he anyway?"

"He's still in the meeting room talking to a few elders." Sakura glanced at the door behind her.

"Ah...good...then he won't be able to see." Gaara made a small smile at Sakura's confused face. She nearly gasped when he suddenly pulled her close and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "...you know, after not seeing you for 5 days, it makes me really miss you."

Sakura blushed at his words and lowered her head. "People might see us..." She muttered.

"I won't do anything more, Sakura." Gaara reassured her and took a few steps back. "I just missed you." He repeated.

Sakura didn't know what else to say.

They both turned when they heard the door open. Sasuke stepped out and froze when he saw Sakura and Gaara.

Sakura sighed. Why, why, why, does he always come at the moment when she and Gaara were together? She had such bad luck.

Sasuke gazed at Gaara for a while before walking over to Sakura. "Let's go." He grabbed her arm and dragged her with him.

Gaara was about to go and grab her arm, too, but stopped when his phone rang. He glanced at Sasuke and Sakura and then shook his head and pulled out his phone

"Hello...?"

_"Gaaaaara!" _

"Karin..." Gaara rolled his eyes at the sound of her annoying high-pitched voice.

And unfortunately for him, Sasuke heard. He immediately stopped and slowly turned back.

"...Karin...?" He narrowed his eyes. "Did you just say Karin?"

Gaara stared at him. "...I'll call you later, _**Karin**_. I'm busy right now." He said it loudly so Sasuke could clearly hear him. He hung up on Karin before she could reply back.

"Since when do you and Karin ever talk to each other?" Sasuke scowled at him.

"Why are you so curious?" Gaara teased.

"...what exactly are you planning? You're already taking Sakura from me, and now you're going after Karin?" Sasuke clenched his hand into a fist and his grip tightened on Sakura.

Sakura blushed at his words._ Taking her away from him?_

Gaara's eyes averted to Sakura and he felt jealous when he saw her flustered face...and all her attention was focused on Sasuke.

He just shook his head and gazed back to Sasuke. "Maybe I am." He simply replied.

"I swear, I'll fucking-,"

"Well, why don't you go ask Karin? She was the one who came to me, first." Gaara smirked. Oh hell yes, his plan was into action, now. Karin would be busted so badly.

"Karin would never hurt me." Sasuke hissed.

"Whatever you say. I have evidence about everything, so...why don't you come over to my place tomorrow and I'll show you."

"What?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"I can tell you the truth about Karin and Sakura." Gaara replied.

Sakura gasped. "Gaara, what are you-,"

"Sakura." He just gave her a warning look.

"Sasuke, come tomorrow if you wanna know...and don't bring Sakura." Gaara said before walking away.

Sakura bit her lip nervously. Will Gaara really tell Sasuke everything? Sure, it sounded like a good idea and Sasuke would probably, finally, believe her, but...why did Gaara say it so suspiciously? And why the hell couldn't she go? This was about her, after all.

"Sasuke-,"

"Don't come tomorrow." Sasuke interrupted. "If you won't tell me, then there's no other choice than to hear it from Gaara."

"But-,"

"I just want the truth." Sasuke said and walked away before she could reply.

'...I have to go...no matter what, I have to see what Gaara is going to say to Sasuke...' Sakura thought as she just watched him go.

* * *

**Alright. Next chapter, Karin's gonna be in BIG trouble ;)**

**Review.  
**


	31. Revealed

**Revealed  
**

_*Oh. My bad, I did my math wrong. Sasuke is NOT 20 :\ _

_He is 18 right now, so I meant to say he'll be 22 when he takes over the company._

_And technically, anime is from Japan...and they are in Japan...so yea, they're a little young to be married, but aw well. I can make it work, right? Lol._

_And I took off the links for Sakura's dresses. Cuz...it's too tiring to do.  
_

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke quietly got out of bed, not wanting to disturb Sakura. He wanted to leave first so she won't try to stop him or anything.

Sasuke went into his closet, changed out of his pajamas and texted Gaara that he'll be over to his place in a bit.

* * *

Gaara was taken by surprise when his phone suddenly vibrated. 'Who would text me this early?' He blinked and reached for his phone.

He read Sasuke's text. "Geez...he wants to know so badly, huh..."

Gaara closed his phone and sighed. He seriously would regret doing this. He could possibly lose Sakura.

But he felt doing the right thing was better.

He picked up his phone again and dialed Karin's number.

_"...ugh...hello...?" _Karin answered drowsily.

"Karin. It's been a week. Come over so we could discuss the plans."

_"What the hell? Right now? I'm not even up yet..." _She groaned.

"I'm busy. Hurry up." Gaara replied bluntly.

_"Are you serious? Why-,"_

"If you're not over in ten minutes, the deal is off." Gaara said before hanging up. Everything was going perfect. Sasuke would be here any minute and Karin was also coming...it was a great opportunity to put her on the spot.

* * *

He was gone. Already.

Sakura groaned in frustration and after getting ready, she rushed downstairs. 'I need to get there...' She thought and ran over to the front door.

She got out and to her surprise, her driver's car wasn't even there. Sakura frowned. "That damn asshole took my driver, too."

But she didn't care. If he was going to take her car, she might as well take his.

She really didn't understand Gaara. If he wanted to be with her, why would he tell Sasuke? Didn't he want Sasuke and her to not be together in the first place?

'Not that we'll be together anyways...' She denied.

Sakura quickly ran over to Sasuke's car and got in. The driver looked back in surprise. "Ms. Haru...I mean, Sakura. What are you doing here?"

"Um, Sasuke took my car, so I need a ride from you."

"Anytime." The driver bowed slightly.

"You know where Gaara lives, right?"

The driver nodded.

"...please, take me there."

* * *

Karin sighed in annoyance as she was driving to Gaara's place.

"I can't believe he wants to talk it out so early..."

She glanced down and opened her phone to check the calender.

...only one more month to go before they divorce.

"Well. I guess it's better to start sooner anyways." Karin muttered to herself.

"This has to work. If it doesn't, I don't know what I'll do. Sasuke is mines, he'll always be mines." Her hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel.

"...please, please, don't leave me for her."

* * *

It was only a while before Karin arrived. She was surprised to see Gaara sitting down by the front porch waiting for her.

"So, what's up?" She greeted as she got out of the car.

Gaara looked up at her. "You tell me. You were the one who wanted to do this in the first place."

"What the hell, then why did you call me to come over so early-"

"I told you, I'm busy later." He interrupted.

Karin just glared at him. "Ugh, fine." She walked over to him and awkwardly sat down by him.

Gaara glanced down at the time in his cell phone and sighed...when is Sasuke gonna get here?

"So, I was kinda wondering we could kinda...you know...act like..." she trailed off, pausing for a bit.

Gaara raised an eyebrow and urged her to go on.

Karin cleared her throat. "Well, you know...we could act like we're...dating..."

Gaara looked at her like she was crazy.

"...Don't look at me like that! That was my original plan, so are in or not?" She rolled her eyes at him.

Gaara would never, in a million years, even if she was the last female alive, go out with her. She wasn't even his type and frankly, he hated girls like her. He had always wondered what Sasuke saw in her.

"Helloooo? Are you gonna do it?"

Gaara tapped his foot impatiently. When was Sasuke getting here? "...I'll have to think about it. What's plan B?"

"Well, my other plan involves the public and media. I was planning to expose them."

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her. "What? Why would you do that? If you expose them to the public about their fake marriage, it'll only hurt everyone; Sasuke, Sakura...and think about Sasuke's company and parents, too."

Karin smirked. "So? That's why I said pretending to date was my first option. Will you do it? I mean, come on, it's not that bad. You're pretty good looking, and I'm totally perfect. We could pull it off." She said conceitedly.

Gaara fought the urge to gag. How can she be so conceited when she wasn't even that attractive. (LOL. That was mean...)

"I'll have to think about it..." He muttered,trying to stall time.

"What do you mean, _think about it_? We're collaborating right now, so just hurry up and decide! You told me you were busy!"

Gaara let out a frustrated sigh. He might as well go along with it for now since Sasuke should be here any minute...hopefully...what the hell was taking him so long...? He slowly nodded at Karin. "...fine, I'll do it."

Karin grinned in victory.

"But I am not touching you, hugging you, or doing anything that involves being close to you." Gaara replied bluntly.

She frowned at him. "Uh, you obviously have to do that or else they won't-," She was cut off when she heard a car driving coming in towards them. She turned to see the car she knew all too well and her eyes widened. 'What the hell?'

Sasuke narrowed his eyes when he saw Gaara and Karin sitting together. He immediately opened the car door and got out, slamming it shut. "Karin, why are you here with him?" He glared at Gaara.

Karin glanced at Gaara. 'Well, I might as well put my plan into action right now, then.' Hesitantly, she linked her arm around Gaara's. He flinched at the sudden contact and slightly leaned back.

Sasuke's hands clenched into fists. "Karin...just what the hell-,"

"Sasuke. I've been meaning to tell you this, but..." Karin pretended to sound innocent. "...but me and Gaara are dating."

"What?"

Sasuke walked over to Gaara and pulled him out of Karin's grasp. He took a hold of Gaara's collar and harshly pulled him closer. "Is this the _truth_ you're gonna tell me about? What does Sakura have to do with all this?"

Gaara pushed away from him. "Sakura has nothing to do with this."

"Then what's the truth you're trying to tell me?" He glanced back and forth from Gaara to Karin, clearly hurt.

Karin averted her eyes and felt a tiny spark of guilt in her. She honestly didn't want Sasuke to feel betrayed, but this was the only way Sasuke would fight for her. If she was with another man, he would do anything to get her back...hopefully.

Gaara took a deep breath. 'Well, here goes. I'll expose everything.' He put his hands in his pockets and turned slightly towards Karin. "The truth I was going to tell you, is that..." He paused. "...Karin was the one who started all this first."

Karin turned to look at Gaara in disbelief. Did he really just say that?

Sasuke blinked, confused. "...why...why did she just say you two were dating-,"

"We're not. She just wanted to fake it to get you and Sakura to break apart." Gaara rambled on.

"Gaara!" Karin cried out at him in panic. 'Why is he telling Sasuke all this? I thought he was going to help me!' She glanced frantically at Sasuke.

"I told you, I'm not stupid. I would never work with you to plot against them, even if I want Sakura." Gaara shrugged. He turned his attention back to Sasuke. "So, I'll tell you everything. Karin was the one who threatened Sakura. That's why Sakura slapped her. When Sakura tried to-,"

"Shut up, Gaara!" Karin tried to interrupt. But Gaara kept going.

"-go talk with Karin the next morning, that's when Karin started hitting her. And unfortunately...you came at that moment and believed Karin's side of the story, _again_. You never gave Sakura a chance to explain, nor did you ever listen and try to make sense of the situation. This is why I keep telling you that I can make her happy...you two aren't even in a real relationship, so I have every right to comfort and be there for her. And also...Karin lied to you-,"

"Gaara, stop it!" Karin grasped his shirt tightly, pleading him.

"-about you two sleeping together. Nothing happened that night, and she only told you that to make sure you would never leave her because you now have the responsibility of her. So, basically, Karin is the one causing all the confusion. She's been the one lying to you this whole time." Gaara finished.

Karin glared hatefully at Gaara with teary eyes.

Sasuke was speechless. He just...he just couldn't believe it. Karin would never do this. "K...Karin..." He called her name softly. "Is this true...?"

"It's true."

They all turned to see Sakura's driver standing in front of the car. He bowed slightly. "I know it's not my place to speak of this, and Ms. Haruno also told me not to say anything, but I honestly can't stand her taking all the blame. Young master, I know about your fake marriage with her, and I promise I won't tell anyone about it. But I want to tell you that Ms. Haruno is innocent. I saw the whole fight and..." He slightly pointed at Karin, who frowned at him. "...she was the one who started it..."

Sasuke let out a sigh of disbelief. So it was true. All this time, he's been hurting Sakura and all this time, Karin has been lying to him. It destroyed all faith and trust that he had in her. "Karin, I don't...I don't understand why you would do all this." He shook his head at her.

Karin could feel her tears forming in her eyes. She tried her best to hold them in...she didn't want to cry in front of them. "Damnit, Sasuke! I'm just doing this to protect us! Everytime you tell me you don't have feelings for Sakura, I could clearly tell that you're lying. You're falling for her and all I was trying to do was to get you to stay with me. If I hadn't done anything, you would've left me already!"

"No...I would never leave you, Karin. Ever. I gave you every piece of my faith and my love...and you couldn't even trust me enough to just stay patient and wait for me." Sasuke felt so betrayed. He knew that he had strong feelings for Sakura, but Karin was still his real fiancee. But now everything between them...he didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

"Karin, I don't think I can...I don't think I can do this anymore." Sasuke muttered quietly.

"Sasuke, you have to believe me. They're just ganging up on me! All I was doing was to just keep you away from Sakura! It was only for your own good-,"

"That doesn't mean you can lie to me about everything!" Sasuke cut her off. "...just go, ok? I can't stand it, anymore. Everything that's happened till now, is all your doing. And I don't think I can ever forgive that. You even tried to fake a relationship with Gaara. How am I supposed to forgive you when you were just about to pretend like you're going to cheat on me?"

Karin's tears fell when she blinked. She stayed quiet for a while and then wiped away her tears.

Sasuke was taken by surprise when she just smirked at him. "...you know what, then. If you don't want me, you never really loved me in the first place. Everything is that slut's fault and if you want to leave me for her, then go ahead. So fuck you, Sasuke." She hissed and turned around, walking to her car. She didn't expect things to turn out this way...she just really lost Sasuke. 'Damn it, damn it, damn it!' She let out a shaky sigh and her lips trembled as she got in her car.

Karin took one last glance at Sasuke. '...if I can't have you...then I'll do everything to destroy your happiness with her.' She thought before driving away.

* * *

Sakura's driver awkwardly went back into the car. He did what he needed to do.

Sasuke and Gaara stood there quietly, both staring at the ground.

"...thanks..." Sasuke muttered.

"I did it for Sakura. I don't like seeing her hurt. And I'm fed up with you believing Karin all the time, so I just wanted to put an end to it." Gaara replied and walked up his porch. "...wanna come in?"

Sasuke didn't say anything and just shook his head. "I think I'm just gonna go home..."

Gaara nodded. "Alright then. By any chance, if you and Sakura make up...I'm still gonna do everything possible to get her to be with me." He smirked before going in the house.

Sasuke just made a faint smile and shook his head. He turned around and slowly made his way back to the car, but his jerked up when he heard another car driving in.

'...wait...that's my driver...' Sasuke narrowed his eyes, seeing his driver in the front seat. When the car stopped, he was taken by surprise when Sakura came out. What was she doing here?

"Sasuke?" Sakura closed the car door and ran over to him. "What did...what did Gaara tell you...?" She asked quietly.

Sasuke gazed at her and everything flashed through his mind. He felt so much guilt about everything. He hurt Sakura and he also lost Karin.

"...Sasuke...?" Sakura hesitantly reached towards him. She gasped in surprise when Sasuke suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

Sasuke hugged her tighter. He felt the need to just apologize over and over.

"S...Sasuke...what's wrong?" Sakura blushed. With all the drama that's been going on, it's been so long since he's ever been this close to her. It was...nice.

Sasuke didn't know what to say to her because he knew just saying sorry wouldn't be enough. He had denied what she was saying this whole time and admitted that Gaara was right. He never made sense of the situation and just always took Karin's side. His heart hurt just thinking that Karin won't be with him anymore...but he felt that right now, making things right with Sakura was more important.

"Sakura, I'm sorry. I'll do _anything_ to make it up to you. Anything."

* * *

**Whoa.  
**

**I know you guys waited a long time, sorry.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**


	32. Three Tasks

**Three Tasks  
**

* * *

Sakura just stood there, frozen. She didn't know what to say or how to react.

"...I...I found out about the truth...and...you were right. Even if you told me, I wouldn't believe you, because...I just can't..." He sighed. "...I just can't imagine that Karin would do that to me..."

Sakura stayed quiet. A sense of relief washed over her...he finally knew. He finally knew the truth and now he won't accuse her of doing anything anymore.

"Sakura." He muttered her name quietly and slowly pulled away from her. "Seriously, I'll do anything to make it up to you." He kept his eyes averted down; he couldn't bear to look at her because of the guilt he was feeling.

Sakura could clearly see how sorry he was, but she didn't know what to ask of him if he was going to make it up to her. "Um...I...I have to think about it..."

Sasuke just nodded. "Then anything you need or want, just tell me, I'll do it."...

Sakura's heart was racing. He was seriously gonna do _anything_ just to make it up to her? Did he honestly feel that bad that he would be this sincere? She noticed that he wouldn't even raise up his head this whole time he was talking to her.

"Let's go home, first, ok?"

Sasuke didn't reply and just nodded again.

"Um, do you want to take your car-,"

"I'll send my driver home. We'll take yours." Sasuke murmured.

...besides, he had to thank Sakura's driver for telling the truth, too.

* * *

The drive home was awkward.

Sasuke just kept looking down at his lap the whole time and Sakura didn't know how to bring up a conversation with the tense mood.

When the driver stopped, neither one of them got out.

Sakura's driver cautiously looked back and cleared his throat. "Uh...um...young master, if I offended you by speaking out today, I apologize. And Ms. Haruno...I'm sorry for breaking my promise of not telling anyone. If it'll make you two happy, I'll gladly resign-,"

"It's fine." Sasuke interrupted.

Sakura glanced at him.

"...you did the right thing. Thank you." Sasuke replied before getting out first.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You...you told him...?"

The driver nodded slowly and bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I just felt that you didn't deserve all the blame."

Sakura stayed quiet for a while. The driver was taken by surprise when she just smiled faintly at him. "Thank you." She said before also getting out.

The driver watched as she followed Sasuke inside the house and took a deep breath. "I really thought I was gonna get fired..."

* * *

Sasuke walked over to the living room and sat down on the couch. He took out his cell phone and scrolled down to Karin's number.

'How are we going to face each other? Why would she...' Sasuke groaned in frustration and closed his phone, slamming it down beside him. '...why would she do that?'

He lowered his head and stared down at his knees. He just couldn't get it through that Karin lied about everything...even the part where she slept with him. He was hurt, but at the same time, he was angry that she did all that just cause pain to Sakura.

...and Sakura...tried so hard to tell him, but he didn't even listen. This whole month was just a big turmoil of drama and he tired from it.

Sasuke heard footsteps slowly walking towards him and he turned to see Sakura. "...are...you ok...?" She asked quietly.

Sasuke didn't know why she did that. She was the one who had obviously been hurt, so she should be laughing at him and she should be happy that he was like this. But no...she on that worried expression and it made him feel even guiltier.

That's why he'll do anything to make it up to her. It didn't matter how embarrassing or how daring the task would be, he would do what she asked.

"Sasuke? Are you ok?" Sakura repeated.

"...yea...I'm fine." He lied and patted the spot next to him, indicating that he wanted her to sit with him. Sakura hesitantly walked over to him and sat down.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke murmured. It wasn't enough. Just saying that wasn't enough. "...I'm sorry..." He said again, quieter.

"As long as you know the truth now." She made a gentle smile at him. "But...you and Karin...are you two-,"

"We're over. I don't think I can forgive her." Sasuke shook his head.

Sakura was overall happy that Karin got what she deserved...but...Sasuke looked so heartbroken. It didn't feel right.

"You...you should go talk to her...I mean, everytime I went to sort things out with her, she was always saying that she did this only so you won't leave her. The tactics she used against us wasn't right, but I think she was honestly scared of losing you-,"

"Sakura. Why are you defending her when she's the one that caused all this?" Sasuke shook his head at her.

Sakura glanced down at the floor. "I'm not defending her. I know what she did to me, and I'm glad she got found out, but...you should just go clear things out with her."

"Why?"

Sakura fiddled her fingers together and let out a quiet sigh. "...because..." She paused for a few moments. "...I don't like seeing you like this. I'm not defending her, Sasuke...I'm just worried about you..."

Sasuke gazed at her. He guessed that Karin was right about some things. He was slowly, very slowly, opening up his heart to Sakura. "...is that something you want me to do?"

She remembered he would do anything to make it up to her. "...I'll give you three specific tasks to make it up to me, then. And this is one of them, so...if you can, just go talk to her tomorrow, ok?"

Since it was something she wanted him to do in order to make it up to her, he had no choice. He didn't want to face Karin just yet, but he knew had to, sooner or later. "...then I'll do it."

Sakura's heart fluttered. So he was serious. He was willingly going to do anything she wanted. "Um...then...I gotta go do homework. I'm a bit behind on my schoolwork again." She quickly made up and excuse and stood up.

Sasuke felt the urge to call after her, but he sat still as he heard her footsteps gradually getting further from him. He let out a sigh and buried his face into his hands as his mind wandered off to Karin, again.

...after two whole years together. After proposing to her and preparing for the future together...it all meant nothing anymore. He didn't know if he could ever forgive her. It angered him even more that he caught her in the act of trying to fake the dating between her and Gaara. Was she actually willing to go that far?

He was quickly torn out of his thoughts when his phone vibrated. He opened it...it was a text from Gaara saying:_ "Here's some more evidence."_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes when his phone vibrated again, and this time it was a voicemail from Gaara. He hesitated for a moment before opening it and listening to it.

**(The conversation Gaara recorded while he was "cooperating" with Karin on the phone in chapter 30)**

**_"...then, Karin. I want to clarity some things, first. If you tell me, maybe I'll consider it."_**

**Karin narrowed her eyes. "Like what?"**

**_"...the day Sakura got hurt; were you the one that started it?"_**

**"What? Hell no! That whore was the one who came over to my place first!"**

**_"I know that, obviously."_ Gaara rolled his eyes._"But there has to be a reason why she went over to your place, right?"_**

**Karin gritted her teeth together. What the hell was he trying to get out of her? "Why are you so curious about this?"**

**_"If you tell me the truth about what happened between you and her, then I won't have any doubts about you."_**

**"I don't get what you and Sasuke see in that girl. Ever since she came into our lives, everything's changed. You have no idea how much I hate her."**

**_"...so. Are you gonna tell me the truth?"_**

**She let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, fine! She was getting on my nerves so I hit her first, ok?"**

**_"Oh, and about you and Sasuke. Did you two really sleep together?" _Gaara urged on.**

**Karin bit her lower lip nervously. How did he know about that? "That's...that's going too far. I don't need to answer-,"**

**_"If you answer this question, then I'll help you."_**

**'Damn. He's as good as me.' She thought and stayed quiet for a few moments.**

**_"I just want the truth, Karin. If you tell me, I'll trust that you won't hurt Sakura anymore."_**

**Karin took a deep breath. "...I...I never slept with him..." She muttered. "...I just faked it. It was the only way to get him to stay with me because he's responsible for it."**

...the voicemail stopped and Sasuke just sat there, staring in space. Now this...this was even clearer evidence. It was Karin's own voice admitting the things she did. She really was the first one who hit Sakura...she really lied about everything.

Sasuke slammed his phone shut and threw it down on the floor. "Damn it!" He cursed and stood up, letting out an irritated sigh. 'Damn it Karin...why...?' He thought as ran his fingers through his hair.

He just really wanted to escape from all this. He just wanted to forget all this, even if just for a moment.

Without telling any employees, or workers, and not even Sakura, he grabbed his jacket and walked out the front door, not bothering to pick his phone from the ground.

* * *

After changing into more comfortable clothes, Sakura jumped into bed and snuggled in the sheets.

"Ah...I said I would do homework, but I'm kinda tired." She took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. "Well, at least Sasuke knows the truth now. Hopefully, Karin won't be all whiny and stuck up when he goes talk to her tomorrow."

Sakura's expression slowly fell when she thought about Sasuke. Even though Karin was found out, she hated to see him hurt like that. That pitiful look on his face just tugged at her heart. 'Sasuke...I hope you'll be ok...' She thought and grasped her pillow closer to herself.

Thinking about how hurt he must be right now, she was reminded of when Naruto broke up with her. She understood how painful it was, and she really didn't want Sasuke to experience it. She knew she should feel happy about the fact that he was hurt...it would be perfect revenge against him for not believing her this whole time.

But instead, she felt the need to protect him.

"...I want to protect him. I'll..." She paused, blushing at her own thoughts, but she said it anyway.

"...I'll...be the one to heal his heart."

* * *

**Yes, the waits are getting longer with each update.**

**I don't think a simple apology will do it, so scold me or whatever you want to take your anger out on me.  
**

**Review and tell how it is so far; it's nearing the story's end :'(  
**

**The next chapters will focus more on reconciling and cleaning up this whole drama thing...and of course, the romance between Sasuke and Sakura will grow :)  
**


	33. Admit It

**Admit It  
**

* * *

Sasuke ended up renting out a bar for the whole night. He didn't feel like being around people and he wouldn't want trouble to stir if the public saw him out drinking.

"Give me two more bottles." Sasuke ordered the waiter.

"O...of course..." The waiter bowed slightly and grabbed two more bottles of wine and hesitantly set it down in front of Sasuke. "Sir, you've already had-,"

"Tch, who are you to tell me how much I can drink or not? Leave me alone." Sasuke glared.

The waiter cleared his throat nervously and nodded before scurrying away.

Sasuke poured a few more shots into his cup, but that wasn't satisfying enough. He pushed the cups out of the way and just drank from the bottles directly.

"Shit...this is driving me crazy." He muttered as he gulped down the alcohol.

* * *

Sakura slept for a while before waking up from her nap. She stretched and glanced at the time...it was already 6PM.

She got out of bed and brushed the tangles in the her hair before scanning the door to go out. "Where's Sasuke?" She asked one of the employees that were dusting the windows.

"He's not here. He left a while ago." The employee replied.

"...left? Where did he go?" Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"He didn't tell anyone. But he left his cell phone down in the living room."

Sakura thanked her before going downstairs. She saw his phone in the living room and walked over to it. 'Why would he leave and not take his phone?' She picked it up and opened it to see the voicemail still open.

"A voicemail?...from Gaara?" She blinked. She didn't want to get in their business, but she was really curious as to why Gaara would send him a message like this.

With her thumb shaking a little, she pressed the call button to open the voice mail.

...her eyes gradually got wider after she heard the conversation. Gaara and...Karin? Gaara was recording this to send to Sasuke? She was taken by surprised when she heard Karin asking Gaara to fake a relationship. Without another thought, Sakura shut the phone closed.

"...she would...go that far?" Sakura narrowed her eyes. "She would go as far as cheating, just to make sure Sasuke stays faithful to her?"

She let out a frustrated sigh. Sasuke must be really hurt right now, hearing all those things from Karin herself.

'I hope he's ok...I gotta find him...'

* * *

Gaara was surprised when he opened the door to see Sakura standing there. Just a few hours ago, Sasuke and Karin was here...and now Sakura.

"What are you doing here?"

"...I heard the voicemail on Sasuke's phone." Sakura averted her eyes down.

Gaara blinked and cleared his throat. "Oh...so you know already. Well, I just thought he should have real evidence just in case he hasn't got it over himself that Karin really did all that."

"I can't find him." Sakura suddenly stated.

"Ok? He's just probably stressed out. We should leave him alone-,"

"I'm worried. I don't like seeing him hurt like that." Sakura replied worriedly.

Heh, yea. Gaara knew it. This would only bring them closer together. 'Shit...do I even have a chance?' Although he was so confident in the beginning, he was really starting to doubt it. He could clearly see the way she looks at Sasuke...she was utterly in love with him. She just didn't want to admit it, herself.

"Can you help me? He left about forty minutes ago, and I have no idea where he could possibly be. Is there any particular place he goes when he's in a bad mood?"

Gaara thought for a while. "He usually keeps his cool. But...when he's in a really bad mood, he goes out drinking."

"Sasuke drinks?" Sakura's eyes widened. "But, isn't he too young?"

"He's got another 2 years until he's actually legal, but he doesn't really care. When he goes out drinking, he usually rents out the whole place so no one knows anyways." Gaara shrugged.

"Ugh, geez...he's so stupid." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Then, can you come with me? Please?"

Gaara just smiled faintly and stepped out, closing the door behind. "Like I said so many times before...anything for you."

Sakura felt a little tug at her heart. Here she is, worrying over Sasuke in front of Gaara, when she knew Gaara clearly liked her. She didn't want to hurt him, either. "...u...um...actually, you don't have to."

"You just told me to-,"

"I know, but I..." She let out a deep breath. "...I don't want to hurt you, too. You always help me out with Sasuke."

"Then what was the point of coming all the way to my place?"

"I'm sorry. I'll go look for him." Sakura apologize before turning around. She flinched when Gaara gently grasped her wrist.

"I'm fine, Sakura. I'll come."

"But-,"

Gaara suddenly pulled her closer and Sakura gasped when they were just inches apart. She blushed when he did that amazingly attractive smirk. "Seriously, Sakura. I'll help, ok?"

And she just blankly agreed, knowing he'll be stubborn. "...o...ok."

* * *

Sasuke laid his head on the table and stared at the empty glass bottle. He glanced at the clock and his eyes fluttered droopingly. 'It's already 8, huh...'

He reached in his back pocket and searched for his phone. "Ah, shit..." He groaned when he remembered he left it on the floor at home.

"You." Sasuke pointed lazily at the waiter.

"Y...yes, sir?" The waiter bowed.

"Let me..." Sasuke hiccuped. "...ugh...let me use your phone."

"Excuse me, sir?"

Sasuke glared at him. "Geez...I said let me use your phone."

"But I-,"

"Hurry up." Sasuke demanded harshly.

"Um-,"

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

The waiter blinked nervously and fumbled for his cell phone. He got it out of his pocket and handed it to Sasuke.

Sasuke grabbed it and quickly dialed Suigetsu's number.

_"...hello?"_

"Come get me."

_"Sasuke? Who's phone are you using? This isn't your number."_

Sasuke hiccuped again. "Seriously, you guys are so annoying. Just stop asking me questions and come get me."

_"Are you drunk?"_

"Ugh! I'm gonna kill someone,really. Hurry up!" Sasuke sighed in frustration.

_"Ok, ok, geez...are you at your usual place?"_

"What do you think, dipshit?"

_"Alright. I'll be there in a few minutes."_

Sasuke closed the phone and threw it at the waiter.

"Go away." Sasuke rolled his eyes and laid his head back down on the table.

The waiter bowed and once again scurried away.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh and tapped his finger on the table. "Stupid...everything is so stupid...everyone is stupid...Karin is stupid...I'm stupid..."

He rambled on and on, saying every insult he could possibly think of.

* * *

Thirty minutes passed.

Gaara and Sakura were driving around, going to every possible bar Sasuke could be at.

"Alright...last place. I think he should be here." Gaara replied as he parked the car. Noticing that there were no cars and the place seemed empty, Sasuke was probably drinking here.

"Do you wanna come, or are you gonna wait in the car?"

"I'm coming." Sakura answered.

They both got out of the car and walked into the bar.

"...excuse me." Gaara called to the waiter.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but we're closed." The waiter said apologetically.

"Yea, I know. But, my friend...you must know Sasuke Uchiha, right? Was he here? He rented out the place, right?"

"Oh yea! You guys just missed him. He left about five minutes ago with another guy."

Sakura and Gaara exchanged confused looks. "...ok, thanks." Gaara replied before he and Sakura went back out.

"Another guy? Would it be the others?" Sakura asked.

"Yea. Probably Neji or Suigetsu. He usually contacts those two when he needs a ride or something when he's drunk."

"But he doesn't have his phone."

"He probably used the worker's phone."

"Oh...right..." Sakura sighed as she got in the car. "Can you call Neji or Suigetsu to make sure Sasuke's with one of them?"

Gaara nodded. He quickly dialed Neji's phone number and called him.

_"Hello?__"_

"Neji, is Sasuke there?"

_"No, why would he be?"_

"Long story. Anyways, nevermind." Gaara replied bluntly before hanging up. "I'll drive over to Suigetsu's place. He's most likely over there if he isn't with Neji."

"Ok." Sakura sighed in relief.

* * *

"Ah, geez!" Suigetsu frowned as he put Sasuke on the couch. "It's been like 3 years since you last drank this much. What happened?"

"Shut up. Just thinking about it gives me a headache..." Sasuke replied rudely and snuggled his face into the side of the couch.

Suigetsu shook his head and crossed his arms. "You're like an obnoxious child when you're drunk, you know that?"

Sasuke didn't answer and just closed his eyes.

Suigetsu sat down next to him and narrowed his eyes. 'Damn...he really drank alot. What really happened? Was it an argument with Sakura again or what?'

After an hour, Sasuke eventually fell asleep and Suigetsu ended up watching random TV channels. He was taken by surprise when his door bell suddenly rang. "Seriously...who would come this late at night?" Suigetsu got off the couch and walked over to the door.

He cracked open the door a little bit and he grinned immediately after he saw Sakura. "Hey Sakura! And Gaara?" He blinked.

"Um...is Sasuke here?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Yea. He's totally knocked out on the couch. Come in." Suigetsu opened the door for them.

Sakura walked in and a feeling of relief washed over her when she saw him on the couch.

"How drunk was he?" Gaara asked. Suigetsu scoffed. "Dude, you don't even know. He was like pissed off at everything I said. If I just asked a simple question, he'd be like, 'Mind your own business'...he even called me a dipshit."

Gaara put his hands in his pockets. "Well, it was a good thing we found him. Sakura's been worrying alot."

"What exactly happened? He hasn't been this drunk in years."

"To put it short, Karin was found out. Sasuke found out that Karin started this whole drama between the three of them...and uh, she even tried to fake a relationship with me to get Sasuke jealous."

Suigetsu gaped. "Seriously? She was going to fake dating you?"

Gaara nodded.

"...whoa. That's harsh. That's like 2 years of love just breaking down in a minute."

"Yea..." Gaara kept his eyes locked on Sakura, who was sitting down next to Sasuke.

'There she goes with that loving look in her eyes again.' He thought.

Suigetsu glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. 'And it seems there's a little love complication on your side too, Gaara.' He grinned and hung his around Gaara's shoulder. "This should be interesting, huh?"

Gaara was ticked off by how Suigetsu was sarcastic about everything. But what the hell, it was Suigetsu.

* * *

Sakura hesitantly reached for Sasuke's hand and held it. "Gosh...going out without telling anyone...and drinking this much...you got me worried sick, jerk." She pouted.

Her expression softened when she gazed at his seemingly peaceful sleeping face. 'You must be hurting alot...after finding out all that in just a matter of a day...' Sakura tightened her grip on his hand. She wanted to be there for him. Even though they only had 4 weeks left together as a married couple, she would do her best to be his wife.

Her head jerked up when she felt him stir. Sasuke's eyes fluttered open and he looked at her with drowsy eyes. "S...Sakura...?"

"You should rest. I came over when I called Suigetsu to see where you are..." She left out the part where she was with Gaara and they were searching for him. She didn't want him to think about too many things right now.

Sasuke somehow felt comforted, knowing she was there. Slowly, he closed his eyes again.

Sakura gently let go of his hand but was taken by surprise when Sasuke suddenly wouldn't let go. "...stay..." He muttered quietly.

Sakura blushed, but she silently obeyed and stayed. She sat there until he finally drifted off to sleep again.

She narrowed her eyes as she gazed at him. She wanted to be by him...she wanted to protect him...she wanted to be the one to heal his heart...and her strong feelings towards him; she knew she couldn't deny it any longer. Although it violated their conditions of their marriage, she knew she had to stop lying to herself.

And although she felt guilty for Gaara, she knew Gaara was right all along.

She was, no doubt...in love with Sasuke.

* * *

**...Review and tell me how you liked it.**

**Next chapter will be up soon so look forward to it.  
**


	34. Kiss Me

**Kiss Me  
**

* * *

Sakura wanted to stay with Sasuke, but she ended up going back home because Gaara kept telling her to. But instead, she decided to go to her parent's place.

...it's been a long time since she's last seen them, anyways.

"Thanks for driving me here." Sakura made a faint smile at him as he walked her to the doorway.

"Are you gonna go back to school in the morning if you sleep here?"

Sakura nodded. "Can you come pick me up before seven?"

"Yea. And don't be too worried if Sasuke doesn't come. He's gonna have a major hangover tomorrow morning." Gaara smirked and shook his head.

"Yea. Hopefully he'll be ok, though." Sakura muttered.

Gaara gazed at her and then shook his head a second time. He knew it was too late now. No matter how hard he tried to win her over, he couldn't compete with Sasuke. Sasuke's already earned a place in her heart, and he knew he couldn't replace it.

"...so..." He paused for a moment, hesitating to say it. "...do you want to stop?"

Sakura looked at him, confused. "Stop what?"

"Us." Gaara replied. "Even though we weren't official yet, I honestly can't build up anymore confidence, no matter what how hard I try to convince myself. I mean, obviously...I can't expect you to like me if you already love Sasuke. And don't even say that you don't...because I can clearly see the way you look at him."

Sakura averted her eyes down sadly. "I...I'm sorry...I don't want to hurt you-,"

"It's fine. But I'll always be here if you need any comfort, ok? In a sense, I'm your soul mate." He just smiled reassuringly at her.

Sakura still felt uneasy. She really, really, didn't want to hurt him. She knew how much it hurt, and she didn't want him to experience that. Sakura boldly took a step forward and suddenly embraced him. "You're an amazing person...you deserve a girl who'd make you happy and loves you unconditionally."

Gaara hugged her back tightly. "...thank you."

Sakura shook her head. "**_I_** should be the one thanking you. You're always there whenever I need someone...thank you so much."

Gaara sighed and rested his head on top of hers. "Damn...it'd be perfect if I met you before Sasuke did." He made a small laugh. "But reality isn't that perfect."

Sakura forced a smile. She had to agree...if she met Gaara first, she was sure that she would totally be heads over heels for him.

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke woke up...of course, his head was pulsing like crazy.

"What the hell..." He groaned and fluttered his eyes opened. He was confused at first, but as he looked around, he recognized it was Suigetsu's house.

Sasuke let out a sigh when he remembered how much he had drank last night.

"Yo!" Suigetsu came out of the kitchen, munching on an apple. "You're awake early!"

"Ah...you didn't go to school?" Sasuke asked as he got the blanket off of him.

"Tch. Why would I leave you here alone?" Suigetsu shrugged and sat down on the couch next to him.

Sasuke stayed quiet and thought for a moment. "...wasn't...Sakura here last night...?"

Suigetsu nodded. "Yea. She stayed for a while, but left with Gaara-,"

"Gaara?"

"Yea. He was the one who brought her here last night." Suigetsu blinked.

"I swear she told me that she just called you and came over..."

Suigetsu shook his head."Nooo...she and Gaara looked for you all over town. Dude, you should have seen her face, though. Gaara said she was really worried, too."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. "...I was just...too stressed out yesterday."

"Cuz of Karin, right?"

Sasuke winced a bit at the sound of her name. "Don't even mention her, please."

Suigetsu just grinned and resumed to eating his apple.

Sasuke stared down at the coffee table. He had to go apologize to Sakura for making her worry so much...and he almost forgot.

...he had to go talk things out with Karin.

* * *

"Bye, hun. Are you coming back after school?" Sakura's mom hugged her.

"No. I need to go back and see if Sasuke's ok. I just missed you guys so I came over to visit." Sakura hugged her mom and then her dad.

"Make sure you take good care of yourself. I heard you're getting exhausted lately because of both company work and school work. Take it easy, ok?" Her dad scolded.

"Yea, dad. I'll be ok." Sakura smile reassuringly and then went out the door. "Love you!" She grinned at them before running over to Gaara's car. He came over to pick her up for school.

"Ok, let's go." Sakura replied as she closed the car door.

Gaara started the car and drove away from her house. "...um, so...I'm kinda curious." He suddenly stated. Sakura blinked. "About what?"

"Sasuke...he apologized to you, right?"

Sakura nodded. "He said sorry alot. And he said he'd do anything to make it up to me, so I'm giving him three tasks. The first one was to go make up with Karin."

Gaara glanced at her like she was crazy. "Sakura, you're supposed to be happy that she got found out. Now you're asking him to go back to her?" He shook his head.

"I _am_ happy that she got found out. I'm glad Sasuke knows the truth now...I just want him to talk with her because I want things to be cleared up. I just don't like seeing him hurt like that. And I don't want him to go back to her...honestly..." She paused, hesitating to say it. "...I want him to stay with me..."

Gaara found himself gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. He knew he had to start letting go of the feelings. He had to let her go, because since she realized her feelings, there was no way that she'll just fall out of love with Sasuke. He had to face reality and accept the facts.

...It was just harder than he thought it would be.

* * *

Sasuke ended up changing into Suigetsu's clothes. He didn't know how'd he explain that he got drunk to his parents.

"...alright. I'm gonna go over to Karin's place."

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were mad at her?"

"...I am...but I promised to do anything to make it up to Sakura. And Sakura wanted me to clear things up with Karin, so I'm doing it." Sasuke explained as he finished buttoning up his shirt.

"Oho, for Sakura?" Suigetsu smirked.

Sasuke glared at Suigetsu's joking expression. "I did a lot that hurt her, ok? So I'm just making up for it."

"Yea. Buuuut, you know...you could just stop making excuses and say that you like her."

Sasuke stayed quiet and averted his eyes down.

Suigetsu was taken by surprise and a grin slowly spread across his face. "_Oh_. So you do like her? You're not denying it this time?"

Sasuke just let out a slow sigh and then walked past him back to the couch. "I won't deny it anymore." He simply stated. "Keys." He reached his hand to Suigetsu and Suigestu pulled out his keys from his pocket.

Sasuke grabbed it and then turned around, going out the door.

Suigetsu just stood there, kinda in shock. "Wooooow. Gaara must have it hard right now, then."

* * *

Sasuke took a deep breath as he drove to Karin's place. It would be hard to face her, but...he knew he needed to talk with her. Not just for Sakura, but for himself, too.

He just hoped he'd stay calm enough to not just blow up in Karin's face. He wanted to ask her so many things, he wanted to insult her in so many ways and he wanted to know why, above all, why she didn't just trust him.

When he finally arrived at her house, he slowly got out of the car and walked to the front door. He stood quietly for a few minutes before hesitantly knocking on the door.

No one answered.

Sasuke sighed and knocked again, this time, louder. He took a step back when the door creaked open.

Karin swung the door open and to her surprise, she saw Sasuke standing there. Her gaze immediately turned to a glare. "...what. I though you didn't want to see me anymore?" She scoffed at him.

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. "I just wanted to talk." He tried to maintain as calm as possible...but he knew because of Karin's temper, they would eventually start yelling at each other in just a few minutes.

"About what? About me? About _us_? I've already told you that I did the things I did only to try to save our relationship."

"The things you did were wrong. Did you ever stop and think about the consequences?" Sasuke ended up glaring back at her.

"You know what, stop putting all the blame on me, ok? If your stupid parents hadn't made you marry that stupid girl, and if your stupid friends weren't all on your side, none of this would've happened!"

Sasuke couldn't believe this. She just insulted his parents, Sakura, and his friends all in one sentence. And how could she say the blame wasn't on her, when it obviously was all her own fault? "...the one you should be calling _**stupid**_, is yourself, Karin." He hissed.

"Tch. Did you honestly think that I would just stand there and do nothing while you're falling for that girl? Do you have any idea how hurt, how_ scared_ I was to know that I was losing you to her? You and I have been together for so long, and yet, it only takes a mere two months for you to start developing feelings for her. Did you honestly think I would seriously just fucking let you go when you were mine from the start?"

Sasuke's eyes met hers, and he knew Sakura was right. Karin was really just...afraid. "Karin. Why didn't you just trust me?"

Karin cursed at herself for letting her emotions take her over. Tears were glistening at the corner of her eyes and she just just shook her head at him. "You expect me to trust you? You expect me to believe your pathetic words? You keep telling me that you still love me, that you have absolutely no feelings for her, but all of that is just bullshit. So how do you expect me to trust you when you couldn't even tell me the truth about your _**own**_ feelings?"

Sasuke averted his gaze down. Karin was actually right about that. He had Sakura in his thoughts even when he was around Karin. "...I'm sorry..." He muttered quietly.

Karin narrowed her eyes, wondering if she heard wrong. "What?"

"I'm sorry." Sasuke repeated. It didn't feel right that he was apologizing to her when she was the cause of all this drama, but he knew it was partially his fault for making her feel like this. "...I...I do like Sakura." He admitted to her. He might as well tell her now.

Karin just let out a distressed sigh. She knew it all along, but hearing that personally coming from him...it really hurt. "So what? You just came to admit to me that this whole time,_** I** _was right? If I was right all along, what makes you think you can just put all the blame on me, huh?" She wiped away the tears that were dying to fall from the corner of her eyes.

"Still." Sasuke gazed back at her. "Even if it was partially my fault, too, it doesn't excuse the fact that you would go as far as cheating. Even if I found out that I liked Sakura earlier, I wouldn't go behind your back and cheat on you with her. I would never-,"

"Just shut up." Karin interrupted. "We're over so what does it matter anymore? But just let me tell you this..." She glared hatefully at him. "I will do _whatever_ it takes to make sure she pays for taking you away from me." Karin menaced and turned to go back inside.

Sasuke immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Don't you dare hurt Sakura, anymore!"

"What will you do, huh? You don't have the guts to hurt me! You can't make me stop! I know you Sasuke, and I know that even if you hate me right now, you still don't have the courage to threaten me and I_ am not_ scared of you." She tried to jerked her arm away harshly.

"If you hurt Sakura again, then that just proves you never really loved me!" Sasuke kept his grip on her.

"_**Loved**_ you? What do you think is the reason why I did all those things! It was_ because_ I love you and I didn't want to lose you!" Karin yelled at him.

"Damn it, Karin, I never intended for this happen either!" Sasuke fought back. "I never expected that I'd fall for Sakura, but it just happened, ok? But it doesn't mean that I never loved you either...you're the most important person to me and I truly want to make you happy, but I..." He paused and let out a sigh.

Slowly, he finally let go of her wrist. "...feelings change, Karin. I'm sorry that I hurt you like that. Our time together, it really meant so much to me, and I was ready to spend my life with you. But knowing you lied to me, how can I ever trust you again?"

Karin just stayed quiet. She averted her eyes down to her hand and looked at the ring on her finger. They were done...and she knew it. Thinking about it, even if she destroyed his happiness with Sakura, it won't make him come back to her. And getting rid of Sakura, it won't benefit anything.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly when he saw her take off the ring.

"...fine. Then everything between us, I want to erase it all. I don't want to remember." Karin held the ring on her palm and reached to him. "If you take this back, we're really done. If you put it back on my finger, I promise..." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "...I promise, I'll do my best to make up for everything I've done to hurt you and everyone else...but you have to stay with me. We'll still get married."

Sasuke stared at the ring in her hand. Was she serious? Sakura suddenly appeared in his mind, at that moment...between Karin and Sakura...he knew he had to choose one.

Slowly, he reached for the ring and grabbed it.

Karin's hopes went up when he also grabbed her hand. But her happiness slowly died down when he didn't bother to put the ring on.

Sasuke brought her hand up and placed a gentle kiss on it. "...I love you. I really did."

And when he looked at her with his regretful eyes, she already knew what his answer was.

"...but I don't want to lose Sakura. I want to stay with her." Sasuke finished and gently let go of her hand.

Karin took a step back and her lips quivered. "We're done, then..." She whispered. "Bye, Sasuke." Karin muttered before she turned around, went in the house, and shut the door.

Sasuke stood there silently and stared at the spot where she was standing. It was official...he and Karin were no longer dating, they were no longer engaged.

They were just now...strangers.

He wiped away two tears that were in the corner of his eyes. Knowing that all the memories they've had, all the moments they've shared, were going to be gone...it hurt.

...He really, really, did love her.

* * *

Sakura was back at the Uchiha mansion, pacing back and forth with Sasuke's phone in her hand. Without his phone with him, she didn't even know if he was still at Suigetsu's place or not.

And his parents were busy at work, so she couldn't possibly make them worry about more things.

"Ugh...Sasuke, where are you?" Sakura groaned. She was getting really worried. She suspected that he would be home after she was done with school, but he was still gone.

Sakura walked out of the living room and went to the front door. She scanned her thumb and the doors opened. She stepped outside and prayed, hoped, that Sasuke would just magically appear somewhere in front of her. She was getting too worried and paranoid right now.

She hung her head down and let out a deep sigh. She knew she had placed herself in a difficult situation...the marriage was ending in a few weeks, and she was in love with him. She knew very well this would end up in just another heartbreak. '...it doesn't matter...in the remaining time we have together, I'll make sure that I do whatever I can to make him happy.' She thought.

Her head jerked up when she suddenly heard a car driving in. She narrowed her eyes when she saw that it was just a taxi...but she gasped when she saw Sasuke coming out.

Sasuke paid the taxi driver and the taxi drove away. Sasuke walked towards her, but he didn't look up so he didn't know she was there.

"...Sasuke..." Sakura called his name softly.

Sasuke looked up in surprise and saw her. "...Sakura..."

They just stood there, staring at each other for what seemed like forever. Sasuke then cleared his throat and averted his eyes down. "...I...went to talk with Karin."

"Just now?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Did everything go ok?" Sakura asked cautiously.

He didn't answer her. He just took a few steps to her until they were close enough. Then he opened his palm to show her Karin's ring. "...we officially broke up. This is her ring. She said that, if I took the ring back, it meant we're done. If I put back on her finger, she'll make it up to me and we'll still get married."

"You took it back? If she'll make it up to you, then why-,"

"Sakura, it was literally the same thing as choosing between you and her. If I took the ring, I chose you, and if I put it back on her finger, it meant I chose her."

Sakura blushed at his statement. That meant...he chose _her_ instead of Karin.

"I can't be with Karin anymore, knowing that she destroyed all the trust I had in her. There's nothing she can do to make it up to me and I can't marry someone that I can't trust. And...I didn't want to risk losing you, too."

"...but...are you going to be ok...?" Sakura looked at him worriedly. His eyes were glistening...she didn't know what to do if he cried right now. She's never seen him cry before.

But he didn't. Sasuke forced a faint smile at her and nodded. "She's the past now. Everything...everything's just a memory now..." He muttered.

Silence once again filled the air.

Sakura stared at the ring in his hand and then at him. Her heart fluttered when her eyes met with his. Boldly, she took a step so that they were even closer.

"...you said you'd do anything to make it up to me, right? Would you do a task right now?" She asked quietly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Right now? It was a weird moment to do a task right now, but if she wanted him to do it...he'll do it. He nodded at her.

Sakura swallowed. "Task two..." She muttered. She almost felt like backing away, but she knew if she didn't tell him to do it now, she'll lose her chance.

"Task two..." She repeated. "...kiss me."

Sasuke was a bit taken back by her request.

Seeing how he just had a surprise expression, nervousness quickly took her over and she averted her eyes. "You...you said you would do anything, so...so your second task is to-,"

She didn't get to finish as Sasuke dropped Karin's ring onto the floor, cupped her cheeks and brought her face up towards him.

Sakura's heart thumped furiously when his lips pressed against hers. She fluttered her eyes closed and shyly, she kissed him back.

Sasuke broke apart, but he quickly leaned in again, kissing her with more affection. Right now, he just wanted to show her that she meant so much to him. He was in love with her...and he didn't care if it violated the conditions of their fake marriage.

Just being with her, that was all that mattered, and honestly...he wouldn't mind it if the marriage was real.

* * *

**Review.**

**Next chapter coming up :)  
**


	35. Waiting Moments

**Waiting Moments  
**

* * *

That night, Sakura laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. She looked over to Sasuke, who was already sleeping.

She didn't know if he kissed her because he _wanted_ to or because it was just a task. He even dropped Karin's ring like the ring meant absolutely nothing to him.

'...he...likes me, too, right?' She thought. She wanted to ask him if he had any feelings for her, but since Karin just broke his heart recently, she didn't want to rush him into another relationship just yet; although technically, they were already "married".

Sakura blushed at the thought. What would it be like if this was real...? To be able to stay with him forever, to support him, and to even have a family...it sounded like a perfect picture.

But she also knew she shouldn't rush into things. She was graduating high school next year, only turning 18, so she was still very young, and Sasuke was turning 19 next year. If they were to make the marriage real, she wasn't sure if she was able to stay with him forever. Marriage meant a lifetime of commitment, and she was pretty sure in the future when they're older, they might want a divorce.

'So...the original plan is the only option...' Sakura sighed and grasped her blanket, pulling it up to her shoulders. But if they stuck to the original plan, she didn't know how she would bear with the thought of being apart from Sasuke. Even though she already broke the rule of not falling in love, she knew she had to leave in nearly 2 weeks.

'Then, I should at least tell him. Before the marriage ends, I should be honest and tell him how I feel.'

* * *

The next morning, they both woke up at the same time and Sakura cursed herself for not waking up earlier. She wanted to leave to school first to avoid going together. It was truthfully kind of awkward for her since she was the one who asked him to kiss her.

"You ready?" Sasuke asked quietly as he scanned the bedroom door open.

"Yea." Sakura muttered as she grabbed her school bag and followed after him.

Like it was normal, he reached over and held her hand casually. After that kiss yesterday, he was sure as hell he wanted to stay with her. No matter what, he wasn't going to let her date Gaara or any other guy.

She is his wife after all, legally. If they were legally married, then really...this marriage wasn't fake at all.

It was only fake under their conditions, but if they removed all their little immaturity from when they first met, and they actually love each other...this marriage was definitely real.

Sasuke made small smile at that thought. This marriage was _real._

...he knew had to tell her that he didn't want to stick to their original plan.

* * *

When they got to school, as usual, they walked over to their group of friends.

"Heeey guys!" Juugo greeted and specifically winked at Sakura.

Sakura just smiled at them.

"Oh my gosh! Can you believe it? We're seniors after this week!" Ino squealed and hung onto Sai's arm. "Well then, we'll be graduating highschool." Sai made a faint smile.

"Oh yea...that means you guys aren't gonna be attending here anymore..." Sakura muttered. She's gotten so used to them at school...it'd be weird without Sasuke and the guys now.

"Don't worry, we can always hangout. And we can give you guys rides to school and stuff." Neji shrugged.

"Awww, but I'm gonna miss you all!" Ino pouted.

The bell rang and interrupted them.

"Well, see you guys at lunch." Sai replied as he dragged along Ino. Neji and Juugo also walked away.

"...I guess things have been sorted out?" Suigetsu grinned at Gaara, Sasuke, and Sakura.

Sakura nodded at him.

"That's good to hear. I'll be off, then. See ya at lunch." He replied before hopping off to class.

Sasuke slightly glanced over at Gaara. "Aren't you going?"

"I was planning to walk her to class." Gaara's gaze averted to Sakura.

"_**I'll**_ walk her to class." Sasuke insisted.

"Hn. I have things to talk to her about..." Gaara just glared at him.

"...Sasuke...um, go to class. I kinda want to talk to him, too." Sakura said calmly. She could see that Sasuke was already getting angry.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes, but he silently obeyed. "I'll see you later then." He turned around to go. Just as he took a few steps forward, he quickly turned around and gave Sakura a quick kiss on the cheeks.

Sakura blushed at the sudden contact and watched as he just smirked at her and then walked away.

"...well, you two are certainly much closer now. As I expected." Gaara put his hands in his pockets. Sakura turned her attention back to him. "Y...yea...he went to work things out with Karin yesterday. They're officially broken up now."

"So you're together with him now? The marriage isn't fake anymore?"

"We're not like that. I like him, but he just got out of a relationship. I don't want to rush him into things."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "So you mean you want to_ stay_ with him? You're not sticking to the divorce plan?"

"I want to stay with him, yes. But we're still going with the plan. I mean, we're both really young and staying in this marriage...it's just too complicated, even if it's real."

"...what are you saying? So you both really love each other, but you guys are still gonna separate?"

Sakura shook her head. "I'm not even sure if he's in love with me..."

Gaara didn't get how she couldn't see it. _Of course,_ Sasuke's in love with her. Was she always going to be in denial when it comes to love? "Sakura, you're really dense sometimes."

"...what?" Sakura wasn't sure if she just really heard that. How the hell was she _dense_? He was insulting her!

Gaara just smirked at her surprised expression.

"Nevermind. Come on, we're gonna be late."

* * *

During lunch, Sasuke was giving Sakura more physical contact than usual. He was casually holding her hand and putting his arm around her shoulder.

Not that Sakura minded, though.

After school, Sasuke went to the car first...as usual, to avoid the fan girls. Sakura saw him walking across the street to the car and quickly ran after him. "Why are always the first one out?"

"To avoid people." Sasuke simply stated.

"Geez, you could at least stay and talk with us for a while..." Sakura muttered as she glanced back at her friends, who were just coming out of the school gates.

"...I'll take you somewhere. Hurry up." Sasuke replied as he got in the car.

Sakura just sighed and got in, too. "Take me where?" It's been a while since she and Sasuke have been out together alone. And she wondered why he was giving her so much attention today.

"You'll see."

* * *

Sakura ended up falling asleep. The ride was far longer than she thought.

Sasuke glanced over at her and a smile graced his lips. He knew she was either confused or curious about everything...it was like their relationship was literally real now.

He just needed to confirm their feelings for each other. He was sure that she felt something for him, and he was _definitely_ sure of what he felt for her. He just didn't know how the whole situation will go now. He was intending to tell her that he wanted the marriage to be real now, but that would mean a whole-lifetime of commitment.

He didn't know if he was ready for that. And he knew she wasn't ready for it either.

Sasuke let out a sigh and turned to park. He actually drove them to the very same mansion that they had stayed in on their 3-day honeymoon. He just wanted to remember the memories they had there...without Karin, of course.

After all, this was where he started to like her. He let out a quiet chuckle, remembering how he had to chase after her horse and she broke her wrist. Those playful and comforting days with her was so fun.

And it was the first time he'd gotten jealous over her and Naruto. His mind flashed back to when he made her cry...he was honestly guilty that he yelled at her that day, but it was just because he didn't want her to go back to Naruto.

Sasuke looked at her and then reached over, gently shaking her shoulder. "Sakura, we're here."

Sakura stirred and her eyes fluttered open. "W...we're here...?" She mumbled sleepily.

"Yea, come on." Sasuke laughed softly at her half-opened eyes.

Sakura yawned and slightly stretched out her arms before she got out of the car. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed the big house...it looked familiar...then she gasped, realizing it was the place they stayed on their honeymoon. "What are we doing here?"

"I wanted to spend some time together alone." Sasuke simply replied as he walked over to the door, unlocking it.

Sakura blushed at his words, but quietly followed after. "...you even have the key to it?"

"Yea, of course." Sasuke smirked and opened the door. He slipped of his shoes before going in.

Memories flashed in Sakura's thoughts. She remembered she broke her wrist here and frowned. 'I wonder if the horses are still here.' She thought as she walked over to the back door. She was surprise to see that they were still there. "Who takes care of the horses?"

"Oh, our employees. They come twice everyday to clean and everything." Sasuke glanced at her. "You wanna ride them again? Hopefully you won't be so cocky this time."

Sakura glared at him. "Shut up."

Sasuke took her hand and led her outside. "...then why don't we just ride one together again?" Sakura blushed faintly. "Do you want to?" Sasuke asked again as he patted the white horse.

"It doesn't matter." Sakura wanted to, but she didn't want to make it obvious.

Sasuke smirked at her...he could totally tell she was nervous. "Get on, then." He held her arm to support her as she got on the horse first. Then he pulled himself up behind her and took hold of the reigns.

Sakura felt like it was deja vu. She felt exactly as she had the day they rode the horses together. Her heart was racing and slowly, she let herself relax against him as he pulled on the reigns to make the horse go.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile when he felt her lean back against him. Boldly, he placed a gentle kiss on her head and resisted the urge to laugh when she suddenly froze up.

Sakura frowned. It wasn't fair that he always did things like that to her. Pushing down her nervous guts, she turned her head and Sasuke was taken by surprise when she suddenly pecked him on the cheek.

Sasuke was a bit too happy to say anything. That was frankly, the first kiss he's gotten from her. "...you know, you should make the first move more often." He managed to joke.

Sakura's thoughts once again drifted to their marriage. She would gladly show more affections if their relationship was official. "Sasuke..." She called his name quietly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her cautious tone.

"...um..." Sakura paused and hesitated. She wanted to ask what his feelings were, but then she already told herself that she wouldn't rush him into things. Letting out a sigh, she just shook her head. "Nevermind, haha. I forgot." Sakura laughed it off.

Sasuke didn't buy it. He stopped the horse from walking and then got off. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Sakura just shook her head again. "It's nothing important." She lied.

"Tell me anyways." He urged on.

Sakura bit her lower lip, not wanting to tell him, but she knew he was stubborn and persistent when he didn't get his ways. "What does all of this mean?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"What does all of this mean?" Sakura repeated. "This. **_Us_**. I know our marriage condition was that we're not supposed to have any love, but..." Her gaze met his. "...you can't tell me that there's nothing going on between us. If this is all just going to end in 2 weeks, I want to know your real feelings."

Sasuke honestly didn't expect her to bring up the topic first. He averted his eyes away and stayed quiet for a few moments. "When you give me your last task, I'll give you an answer."

Sakura sighed quietly. "You're not fair, you know that." She glared at him.

Sasuke only made a small smile at her. He was going to tell her that he wanted the marriage to be real, but until she gives him her last request, he wasn't going to say it...nor will he say that he loves her.

He was curious about what her last task would be...he just hoped it won't be something that'll break his heart.

* * *

**Sorry for the extremely long wait.**

**This chapter probably makes you guys even more anxious now, huh? Next chapter will probably tie down everything.  
**

**Review.  
**


	36. This Is Real

**This Is Real**

* * *

One week passed, one more week to go.

Honestly, Sakura couldn't think of what to do for her last task, and she was getting scared of how fast time was going. Did Sasuke even want her to stay? He's never once mentioned anything about it.

'Does that mean he'll go with the original plan? Will all this mean nothing then?' Sakura sighed and rolled over to face the ceiling, pulling the blanket up to her shoulder. Sasuke had left early to go to the company, as always.

Sakura glanced at the time and knew she should be getting ready to leave, too. It was almost as if this was a daily routine now...she didn't know how she could possibly deal with it if she went back to her old life without Sasuke.

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh and lazily sat up. '...I guess I should get ready...'

* * *

Sasuke glanced up when he heard the door open and smiled when he saw Sakura come in. "You're early."

Sakura forced a faint smile at him. "...yea, I know."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her lack of enthusiasm. "You ok? Are you tired? You could've just stayed home."

"I'm ok." Sakura answered bluntly, which made Sasuke doubt even more.

He sighed, got up, and walked towards her. "Seriously, if you're not feeling ok, go back home. I have two meetings today to discuss about me taking the position as president."

"Then I should be there, since I'm your wife." Sakura glanced at up him, hoping he'll say something about their marriage. After all, if they were going to divorce in just a week, she really had no position to be next to him when he succeeds as the company's president in four years.

"Well, if you really want to, then I guess you could come. Just don't fall asleep during the meeting." He made a small smile at her and lightly pinched one of her cheeks.

Sakura didn't know how he could do that. With just one smile or one touch, he could make her heart beat like crazy, and that wasn't really helping with all her mixed up thoughts.

Noticing how she didn't respond, Sasuke's grin slowly died down. He reached over and held both of her hands, pulling her slightly closer. "Can you tell me what's bothering you? It's gonna be on my mind all day if you don't tell me."

Sakura shook her head. "Really, I'm ok. Promise." She once again forced a smile to reassure him.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, still suspicious, but he let it go. "...alright. My meeting is about to start, then. Come on." He kept his grip on her hand as they both exited the office.

* * *

Gaara, on the other hand, was having a hard time getting over Sakura. He honestly couldn't understand women. He still wondered why Sakura still managed to stay in love with Sasuke after all that drama.

'Well, it was partially my fault for them making up.' He blamed himself and sighed.

He actually found himself _missing_ Sakura after a whole week of not contacting her. Damn, he knew how hard he fell in love with her now. He should've stopped the bet when Suigetsu suggested to.

...but what the hell. He had to hear her voice or something; it was killing him.

Hesitating, he slowly reached into his pockets and pulled out his phone. Letting out another sigh, he dialed Sakura's number and called her.

* * *

Sakura nearly jumped at the sudden vibration in her pocket.

Sasuke glanced at her as she took out her phone from her pocket and answered it. He immediately frowned when he realized who it was.

"Hello? Gaara?"

_"Hey, Sakura."_

"Hey...how are you doing?" Sakura replied awkwardly.

_"Not so good without you." _

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he saw that familiar blush on her face. Why the hell was she always like that when it came to Gaara? Sasuke thought he was over it, but apparently, he was still jealous as hell.

"So...why are calling?" Sakura blinked.

_"Ah, just wanted to hear your voice. You know, with you being with Sasuke all the time, I'm jealous. I kinda want to see you...do you have time?"_

"I'm actually going to a meeting right now, so-,"

_"Skip it."_

"Skip it? Why?"

_"Well, you skipped a meeting to go hangout with me before. Why can't you do it again?"_

"Because I'm going with Sasuke..." Sakura said cautiously and averted her eyes at Sasuke, who was obviously giving her an annoyed look.

_"Please?"_

"Uh, how about after the meeting?"

_"No, now."_

Sakura sighed. "Then can I call you back in a bit?"

_"...I'll give you 2 minutes." _

Sakura hung up and once again she looked over at Sasuke. "So? What was that about?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Gaara wanted to meet with me."

"Tell him that I said you can't go."

"You know he won't listen."

"Then are you seriously gonna go meet him right now?"

"Well, I haven't seen him a while..."

"You just said a while ago that since you're my wife, you have to be there with me at the meeting. You _just_ said that."

"I know what I said, but you don't really need me-,"

"Wow, you're really making up excuses so you could go see him?"

"I'm not making excuses!"

"Then tell him you can't go and just hang up on him."

"That's so rude!"

"You've done that to me so many times, so don't even start."

"But that's different."

"So Gaara gets the special treatment?"

"Oh my gosh, Sasuke, can I just go?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said you can't."

"That's not a good enough reason." Sakura rolled her eyes and opened her cell phone to call Gaara again. She gasped when Sasuke suddenly grabbed her phone from her.

"Sasuke! Give it back." She hissed at him.

"You're not going with him."

"I'm probably going to be back even before the meeting is over, so just let me go and stop acting so childish." Sakura frowned.

"Why do you rush to him whenever he calls?"

"I don't! I haven't seen him in a whole week!"

"So? It's not like you _have_ to." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, why do you always get so jealous?" Sakura sighed in frustration and crossed her arms.

Sasuke stayed quiet. She looked really pissed off...did she seriously want to go see Gaara that much? "Well, why do you always want to see him?"

"I don't_ always_ want to see him. I can't just blow him off...he's always been there for me and I don't want to ignore him just because I'm with you."

"So what, he's more important than me?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

Sakura opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn't. Of course, no one else was more important than Sasuke. "W...well, no, but at least he treats me better than you." She managed to say.

Sasuke just smirked. He took a few steps closer to her and slowly handed her phone towards her. "If I'm more important, then stay. If I'm not, then go to him."

Sakura huffed and pouted at him. "Why do you always make things so difficult?"

Sasuke smiled at her and once again took another step closer. "Take your phone, and you can either go or stay. I'll know your answer that way." He shrugged.

She hesitated, but slowly reached over to grab her phone. When she had it in her palm, Sasuke suddenly took a hold of her and pulled her closer. She gasped at the sudden action and blushed when he gave her that irresistible smirk again.

"W...what?" She blinked nervously at him.

"So? Are you gonna stay or go?" Sasuke asked quietly.

She looked into his eyes and stayed quiet for a few moments, thinking. Her gaze averted down to her cell phone, and hesitantly, she put it back into her pocket. Sakura then averted her attention up and once again, their eyes met.

"...I'll stay."

"That's what I thought." He lightly pinched her cheeks which made her frown at him. She hated when he did that...she felt like a little kid. But her thoughts were cut short when Sasuke unexpectedly leaned in and gave her a light peck on the lips.

Sasuke pulled back and chuckled at her astonished expression.

Sakura was blushing furiously. Sure, they've kissed before, but this was the first time he did it on free will. All the kisses they've had before, it was only because Sasuke _**had**_ to.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and wondered why she looked so stiff. It wasn't like it was their first time kissing. "...Sakura, seriously. You acted like that was our first time doing that."

Sakura blushed and crossed her arms. "Shut up. We're going to be late." She quickly changed the subject before walking past him into the hallway.

Sasuke couldn't resist to laugh and he shook his head. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of her...he just loved everything about her.

* * *

Gaara stared at his phone then shook his head and placed it back down. If she didn't contact him back by now, she obviously wasn't coming.

"What the hell am I doing?" He groaned to himself. It didn't matter how much he missed her.

Sasuke was the only man she would see, and Gaara knew he needed to let them be. Sasuke was still his friend, and he didn't want to keep making him mad all the time.

"I guess I should really let go now..." He muttered to himself. Picking up his phone again, he opened it and scrolled down to Sakura's name.

"I can only watch now. If you're happy with Sasuke, I'll let it be." Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind and deleted Sakura's number.

* * *

After the meeting, Sasuke planned to take Sakura out.

But when he looked out the window, it was raining. "Ugh, wow...great timing." He rolled his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sakura came out of the meeting room and noticed his expression.

"I wanted to go somewhere, but it just started raining."

"Let's go anyway, I like the rain." Sakura shrugged.

"Well, I wanted to take you to the beach, but I don't think it's a good idea now."

"Aw, let's just go! Please? It's pretty when the rain goes into the ocean...I wanna see it."

"No, the weather's not good. Let's just go home." Sasuke took a hold of her hand dragged her with him.

"Please?"

"No."

"But I want to go!"

"No.

"Sasuke, pleeeease?"

"I said no."

"But-,"

Sakura was cut short and gasped when Sasuke suddenly turned around and leaned close to her. He made a small smile at her kept his eyes locked on hers. "Ok. I'll go anywhere you want for today if you do what I say."

"...fine, what?"

"Kiss me first." Sasuke replied bluntly and as he expected, Sakura blushed and just stared at him like he was crazy.

"W...what? Heck no-,"

"Well, I offered. Let's go home, then." Sasuke just shrugged and turned back around, dragging her with him again.

Sakura sighed in frustration and glared at him. Honestly, she did want to kiss him, but it was so nerve wrecking. And she didn't want to just kiss him and act casual as if they were a legit couple. It was driving her crazy how he can just act like this but not even mention anything about their marriage.

Sakura pulled back, making him stop. "...can we talk about something when we get home?" She asked quietly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes when that familiar expression came on her face again. He knew something was bothering her. "Yea, of course..."

* * *

When they got home, they both changed into more comfortable clothing and sat on the bed quietly.

"So...what did you want to talk about?" Sasuke asked immediately.

Sakura didn't want to just ask him directly and bluntly. But she didn't know how else to bring it up. "Um...our marriage..." She paused, thinking about what to say next.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _Their marriage?_ That kind of scared him...especially with that look on her face.

"...Sasuke..." Sakura let out a sigh and stared down at her hands. "...where is this going?"

Sasuke stayed quiet for a few moments and also looked down. "So you wanted to talk about that, huh."

"Well, we can't just avoid it. Are we going to get divorced?" She asked hesitantly.

"It's part our agreement, Sakura."

"So everything that we've been through will mean nothing to you?"

"I already told you I won't answer that until you give me your third task."

Sakura was a bit frustration. Why couldn't he just say how he feels about her? Was it because he really didn't love her like she loved him?

"My third task..." Sakura thought for a few moments. If he wasn't going to tell her, she might as well just do it this way. "...then I'll tell you what my third task is."

"Already? Right now?"

Sakura nodded. Sasuke turned to look at her, wondering what she would tell him to do.

"I...really like you, Sasuke." She finally confessed. It felt so scary, but at the same time, she felt a huge weight lifted off of her. She didn't dare to look at him though.

Sasuke hadn't expected that. He kept a straight face on, but on the inside, emotions were exploding all over. _She felt the same way._

"And honestly, I wouldn't mind it if this marriage was real. But...if you don't feel the same way, and you want to keep our original plan, I'll go with it. I don't want to force you to do something like spend your life with me if you don't want to. I..." She hesitated to say it and she could feel her hands shaking from being so nervous. "...I love you, Sasuke...and I just want you to be happy."

Sasuke still remained silent. He wanted to blurt out everything, that he loved her too, that he'd willingly agree to make this marriage real, but he needed to hear her final task.

Sakura cleared her throat quietly and once again averted her eyes down. "So my third task is...even if it's a lie...please, just please, say that you love me, too."

Nothing; no response. Silence filled the air. Sakura felt her heart slowly breaking into pieces. Why was he not responding? He couldn't do it? He couldn't just lie that he loved her, too? He could breakup with his girlfriend of two years, kiss her, but not even say three simple words?

"...you can't say it...?" She asked and finally looked at him with a hurtful expression.

She was taken by surprise when Sasuke let out a small laugh. Was this_ funny_ to him? She felt so humiliated and pathetic. She just confessed to him, and all she gets, is a laugh. A pitiful laugh.

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat and was about to get off the bed, but Sasuke grabbed her arm, and pulled her back. "...I can't do that task, Sakura." He finally replied.

"Why not?" She glared at him with teary eyes. Sasuke's expression dropped. He never intended to make her cry. Quickly wiping away the tears at the corner of her eyes, he cupped her cheeks and leaned closer to her, keeping his gaze locked with hers. "How can I lie to you about that?" He smiled softly at her.

Sakura blinked her eyes in confusion. "Wh...what...?"

Sasuke laughed again and closed his eyes, leaning closer so that their foreheads were touching. He was just so happy right now.

Sakura fluttered her eyes closed when he lightly pressed his lips against hers. Her heart was beating so fast, she afraid he could actually hear it.

Sasuke broke away and gazed into her beautiful emerald orbs. "You love me. And you want this marriage to be real. If that's what you want, then I have no complaints, Sakura Uchiha."

"Then...if I tell you to say it, and it's not a lie, will you say it?"

Instead of answering, he lied down on the pillows and pulled her down with him. Her head rested against his chest and he intertwined his fingers with hers.

When Sakura gazed up at him, he once again leaned in and gave her kiss...a longer, meaningful one, this time. She was officially his, and he was going to cherish her even more. He pulled away and finally whispered, very quietly, "...I love you..."

A smile graced Sakura's face as she closed her eyes and leaned back on his chest. The warmth of his body against hers, his soft breathing, how his fingers intertwined perfectly with hers, how his heartbeat matched with her heartbeat...how everything fell in place so strangely, but wonderfully...

...this was real.

* * *

**Just edited a few spelling/grammar errors. **

**And it's official, I am making an epilogue. :)**


	37. Many Years to Come

**Many Years To Come **

* * *

7 years passed.

Fugaku had finally stepped down as the company's president, and Sasuke, who's now 26, had taken over.

Sasuke and Sakura were still together. They both graduated high school and now they could both fully concentrate on the company together without any difficulties. Sakura still kept in touch with her school friends, and she and Gaara had ended on good terms before he left for an 8 year trip abroad with his father in France. Most of the other guys had inherited the company from their fathers, also, so Sasuke was working with them alot now.

Sasuke was sitting at his office, staring at his family picture. Yes, his _family_ picture; him, Sakura, and their 2 year old son, Daisuke. His eyes averted to the time and guessed it would be ok to leave and go home now.

He and Sakura worked alongside all day, but they were busy working with different employees and then she would leave earlier than him to go home to Daisuke. She didn't want their son to grow up being closer to the babysitter than them.

Sasuke was amazed that they've been together for so long. He honestly didn't think they would last past 2 or 3 years but Sakura proved him wrong.

A smile graced his face when he thought of his wife...he just loved her more everyday.

* * *

"Da-da!" That was the first thing Sasuke heard when he opened the door. Sasuke grinned when he saw little Daisuke running to him.

He picked Daisuke up and kissed him on the forehead. "Where's mommy?"

"I'm right here." Sakura came from the kitchen and Sasuke noticed she had an apron on.

"You do realize we have chefs here, right? How many times do I have to tell you?" Sasuke chuckled.

"Well, maybe I like my husband to eat homemade meals from his wife." Sakura rolled her eyes at him and took Daisuke from his arms.

"Just kidding, geez. Was he naughty today?" Sasuke lightly pinched Daisuke's cheeks.

"No, but he kept crying 'da-da' all day. Can't you come home early with me at least one day? He misses you." Sakura sighed as she walked back over to the kitchen.

"I'm president of the company, Sakura. I can't leave early." He replied and followed after her.

"Oh, whatever." Sakura rolled her eyes again and sat Daisuke in his high-chair.

"Hey..." Sasuke hugged Sakura from behind. "_He_ misses me? If our son misses me, then don't you miss me, too?"

"I see you everyday." Sakura shrugged.

Sasuke hated it whenever she acted like she didn't care. She always did that just to make him feel bad. Buuut, he knew exactly how to win her over. She was always a sucker when it came to him.

"But_ I_ miss _you." _Sasuke placed a kiss on her neck and felt her stiffen up. It never got old. Whenever he did cheesy things to her, she would always react the same way she did back then.

Sakura glared at the ground, feeling her cheeks getting hot. She hated how he always, always, made her heart race no matter what.

"And I love you more. Everyday." Sasuke murmured quietly. Sakura's expression softened and she knew she couldn't help it. She turned around and snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him down so that their foreheads touched.

"I always win, huh." Sasuke grinned at her.

"Shut up." Sakura pouted at him and gave him a small peck on the lips. She instantly pulled away, but his lips lingered on hers, kissing her deeper. "Sasuke! Your parents are home!" She complained, but he just kept kissing her. "So? I _said_ I missed you." Sasuke repeated, placing another kiss on her jawline.

"Ok, ok, I miss you, too."

"And I said I love you."

Sakura sighed, but she smiled as he leaned in kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I love you, too." She finally said as he once again capture her lips with his.

Right at that moment, two figures walked into the kitchen and blinked at the sight. "...Um...are we...interrupting?"

Sasuke and Sakura immediately broke away when they heard Mikoto's voice. They turned to see Sasuke's parents smirking at them. Sakura blushed and averted her eyes shyly. "N..no...um, dinner's ready, so come eat." She immediately changed the subject and glared over at Sasuke.

Sasuke laughed quietly to himself and shook his head. Oh man, he loved his family.

* * *

After dinner, Sakura put Daisuke to sleep. They moved a small crib into their room when Sakura was pregnant.

Sakura smiled lovingly at her son and kissed his forehead before placing him into the crib and tucked the blankets around him. She walked back to her closet to change into a simple, light sleeping dress before crawling into bed.

Sasuke came in the room and loosened his tie. It was always exhausting after a long day at the company. He chuckled softly at the sight of little Daisuke sleeping in the crib before going into the closet to change.

He came out a few minutes later and got on the bed, snuggling next to Sakura.

Sakura turned to face him and grinned. "Hey, this is the same exact position we were in when I confessed to you."

Sasuke smirked. "I know. Were you nervous when you said it?"

"Duh. We were basically a married couple who was too shy to admit their feelings for each other. Technically, it was your fault for stringing me along for such a long time."

"Hey, I clearly told you I wouldn't say anything about my feelings until you gave me your last task." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.

Sakura sighed. "I know, I know. So...what about Karin? Do you still think of her sometimes?"

Sasuke looked at her like she was crazy. "Woman, I am married to _you_, not her. Why would I think about a girl who betrayed me like that. And especially when she hurt you."

Sakura gazed at his eyes. "Just kidding. I just love to reassure myself that you're still with me...physically, mentally, and emotionally. Both in your mind, and your heart."

He sighed again and pulled her closer. "How many times do I have to say it to you?"

Sakura made a small laugh at him. "For the rest of our life together."

Sasuke clearly had no objections to that. "I love you." He whispered it and got up slightly. He hovered over her and gave her a featherlight kiss. "And for many years to come, I'll still love you."

Sakura glanced over at Daisuke and figured they would have to be quiet_. _She averted her eyes back to Sasuke and snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. "Show me..." Sakura whispered back. Sasuke smirked and once again kissed her.

And for that whole night, he really did show her much he loved her.

* * *

**It's a pretty straightforward epilogue. I didn't want to do too much with it.**

**I just thought it'd be cute to write a little chapter about their life a few years after the confession and everything. **

**I truly hoped that you guys enjoyed this story even though truthfully, the ending was anti-climatic, lol. **

**BIG thanks to everyone who followed through with me from the beginning until now. Look out for more stories to come, and check out my other ones, too! **

**Love you guys super duper much! :)**


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